It’s time for the Tri-Cities to loosen up and have a bit of fun at drag shows.
That’s the message Coquitlam’s Daniel Mason — aka Jakyllyn Hyde — wants to get out as he premieres Spring Queening at the Evergreen Cultural Centre next Saturday.
Mason will be on the Coquitlam stage with his husband Flannery Pajamas and fellow queens Anida Tythole, Justice Du Jour — both Abbotsford residents — and Candy Boxx of Victoria as well as Vancouver drag “royalty” Myria LeNoir and Yumi Nagashima for a night of comedy, lip synching to popular tunes and dancing.
Similar in style to RuPaul’s Drag Race the show will be lively and risqué, Mason vows.
“Drag is playing with gender and, right now, it’s very much a hot topic,” he said, noting Melissa McCarthy’s interpretation of White House spokesperson Sean Spicer last year, adding, “I’ve been doing drag for 17 years and I want to show that to the mainstream audience so they can get a better understanding of what we do.”
Mason, who moved to Coquitlam two years ago, said there is a lack of cross-diverse entertainment in the Tri-Cities and, as a result, many residents head downtown.
His goal — should his March 24 production be successful — is to present ongoing drag events locally. “My hope is that people will understand a little bit more about what this type of entertainment is and that they get some joy out of it,” he said.
“I hope to bring happiness to people so they don’t take life so seriously,” he continued. “I think it’s something we’re all guilty of, is seeing everything so black and white and seeing every small thing that comes into our path as a huge obstacle when all we do is tuck stuff between our legs and put socks in our bras and just take on the world.”
• Tickets for Jakyllyn Hyde’s Spring Queening on Saturday, March 24 are $30 via the Evergreen Cultural Centre (1205 Pinetree Way) at 604-927-6555 or online at 604-927-6555. The curtain rises at 7 p.m. Admission is for mature audiences.
