Skip to main content
Did you resolve to eat better this year? Get out more? Be more financially responsible? Drag brunch can help with, well, most of those resolutions. Diva Drag Brunch is one of the most consistent troupes in town to pair glitter and heels with eggs and hashbrowns, with a weekly show at Swan Dive in the Central Eastside and touring shows throughout the Pacific Northwest. The queens said Sunday, Jan. 5, that their next stop is Alaska. The first show of the new year attracted a surprising number of newcomers, some of whom confessed it was their first drag show ever.
With open seating, the 50-odd diners would have to get friendly with strangers if they wanted a seat at a table. Gnarlys, Swan Dive’s resident vegan kitchen, served sinfully delicious comfort food. The focaccia avocado toast ($12) popped with color and flavor, narrowly edged out as the favorite by a nearby couple who also got the loaded tater tot platter ($15). The house bloody mary ($14) has a healthy spice kick and is nearly gritty with pepper.
Opening with the 2001 cover of “Lady Marmalade,” the divas got into formation. Riley Burrows opened demurely as Mýa, with Eugene drag rapper Slutashia taking the reins next as P!nk. Lil’ Kim went to Emmy winner Jayla Rose Sullivan, while Christina Aguilera’s climactic solo went to renowned burlesque dancer Angelique DeVil, who must bathe on the same shore of Mother Lake as Xtina does.
It only got better from there as each artist strutted across Swan Dive’s well-worn wooden floors or, in some cases, flipped, twirled and somersaulted. They performed two solo numbers each, with some audience participation as Slutashia celebrated birthdays and anniversaries, before closing with a sensual group number set to a remix of Rhianna’s “S&M” featuring Britney Spears.