Posted: 6/21/18 at 11:33am
Let's see, I am a 27-year-old gay man living in Chicago.
I'm originally from Oklahoma and I randomly went to a Blockbuster and spent my $20 allowance on a copy of "The Producers" (2005) and after watching it, I became hooked on musicals. There were so many references and insides jokes that I didn't get, but I wanted to know more. So I would rewatch catching something new every time. I loved it and the idea of theatre.
After graduating from college, I worked on a taco truck and at a gay bar as a spotlight boy. Both places, oddly, is where I learned to love drag and campiness in general. After saving enough money, I moved to Chicago in 2014 where I earned my very first Playbill seeing the ill-fated pre-Broadway production of "Amazing Grace." The experience of finally seeing a musical in that large of a theater got me even more hooked on live theatre and now I have seeing well over 200 productions in my time in Chicago!
My first Broadway show was "The Color Purple's" revival where I got to see Jennifer Hudson and... Bre Jackson! She was phenomenal. I have seen more than 25 productions on Broadway since then. (Including all three Dollys with a fourth scheduled on August 25th.)
Shameless self-promotion, I'm a drag queen in Chicago that goes by Briawna Banana where I perform random showtunes and disco mixes like any good ol' drag queen. I do weekly reviews of RuPaul's Drag Race (including one tonight!) with my good judy Soju on her YouTube channel. We've had guests like Aquaria, Sasha Velour and Shea Coulee on. Check it out!
