By Erin Oliveri
Lip-synching drag queens took over afterHOURS Friday night. The event, hosted by Northeastern’s Bisexual, Lesbian, Gay, Transgendered and Straight Alliance (NUBiLAGA), started at 9 p.m. and filled the venue, with many guests dancing along against the walls.
The performers’ stage names were Katya, Becca D’Bus, Nikki Shame, Frieda Fries and Feena Barbitol. They entertained the crowd with every number.
Bianca Dubois, the event’s emcee, introduced the first act of the night: Katya, “the Russian sensation.”
“Give her a potato and she’ll make you a bottle of vodka,” Dubois said.
Katya performed “All That Jazz” from the Broadway musical “Chicago.” She did a split and straddled and kissed audience members.
Next up was D’Bus, with her rendition of Tina Turner’s “Proud Mary.” She started wearing a tightly tied blue bathrobe and black afro wig for the slow introduction. When the tempo picked up, she whipped off the robe and wig, slapped a large red bow on top of her head and energetically ran up and down the aisles.
Shame came out dressed as a man in a black suit, complete with a Red Sox cap. Shame danced to Jay-Z’s rap intro of Beyonce’s “Upgrade Ya.” When it was time for the female vocals, Shame ripped off her cap and suit, displaying a long blond wig and revealing garb.
Fries donned a chic ’80s influenced outfit and performed to a little-known, slower tune, “Pass This On” by The Knife.
Barbitol, headliner at club Axis, performed a medley of songs including the Pussycat Dolls’ “Buttons,” “Beep” and “Wait A Minute.”
The drag queens each took another turn on the stage. Becca and Katya performed a rendition of “Tell Him” by Celine Dion and Barbara Streisand.
Two classic hits got the audience singing along. D’Bus performing Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” and Fries performing Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’.”
The final act, the “Lady Marmalade” remake by Christina Aguilera, P!nk, Mya and Lil’ Kim brought all the performers on stage together. At the close of the number, the afterHOURS crowd was on its feet applauding.
Tasha Henderson, assistant director of student activities and afterHOURS manager, said she always enjoys the drag show and it usually produces a great turnout.
“It’s personally one of my favorite events at afterHOURS,” Henderson said in an e-mail to The News.
NUBiLAGA co-chair Peter Karpathakis said the same drag queens have been used in the past for previous shows at Northeastern, and they are popular with the audience.
“This group makes for a more unique and unconventional night, even for a drag night,” Karpathakis said in an e-mail to The News.
Many students said they enjoyed the show and audience participation.
Celia Maccini, a sophomore communication studies major, said she enjoyed Barbitol’s performances the most.
“My favorite act was the Britney Spears medley,” she said.
Darius Pryor, a freshman international business major, said he loved the audience interaction, but the attention from the drag queens sitting on his lap did make him slightly uncomfortable.
“It was really awkward because everyone was watching me,” he said.
