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“He taught me how to be a person, not just a personality, bringing a heart and a brain to work,” says Poison Waters, talking about her late mentor Darcelle XV (known offstage as Walter Cole). “Everybody can be sassy and fabulous and look good, but you have to have something more behind it.”
Darcelle was a mainstay of Portland’s LGBTQ+ community for more than 50 years—an astonishing run for anyone in the entertainment business. (In 2016, the Guinness Book of World Records named her the oldest drag queen performer.)
But Darcelle wasn’t just anyone, and her line wasn’t just entertainment. As a drag queen, she helped to revolutionize mainstream attitudes about sexuality and gender—and helped put the pride in Pride.
Darcelle opened her club, Darcelle XV Showplace, in 1967, when queer sex was illegal under Oregon law. The club’s tagline, “That’s No Lady, That’s Darcelle!” came from a headline in WW, which published a review of the show in 1975.
Darcelle and her partner in life, business and onstage, Roxy Neuhardt, soon became local legends, and their showplace earned a hard-won reputation as a place where drag queens could earn a real living performing in the club’s revue-style shows.
Waters, who’s performed at Darcelle’s since 1990, now hosts the club’s thrice-weekly shows and rules as Portland’s grande dame.
“We all want to do everything we can just to remind the folks who have been here about Darcelle so they don’t forget her, and also educate the new folks coming up about who Darcelle was and everything she did for us,” Waters says.
Last summer, the club sounded the alarm that Darcelle’s was in danger of closing due to declining attendance. Drag fans far and wide have helped keep the club afloat for the foreseeable future with ticket sales and private venue rentals.
Darcelle died last year at 92, but her memory will live on at Darcelle XV Plaza, expected to open next year as a city park in downtown Portland, with space for art installations, a dog park, a performance stage, and a wall of fame of other LGBTQ+ leaders.
Meanwhile, Darcelle XV Showplace is still as wicked as ever, hosting the longest-running drag show on the West Coast. May the sequins and glitter never stop sparkling.
Catch the magic: Visit Darcelle XV Showplace, where the talented performers carry on an amazing legacy.
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