Extravaganza provides a refreshing and intimate look into the burgeoning Shanghai drag scene as Matthew Baren documents the behind-the-scenes preparations of the drag show, of the same name, that took place at Shanghai’s Pearl theatre in July 2017. Both the film and the show, Extravaganza, are milestones for China’s drag scene. It was a first to have such a large, orchestrated show of 12 drag kings and queens exhibited to an audience that wasn’t exclusively from the LGBTQ community. The film defies the Great Firewall to reveal, otherwise inaccessible, footage of Shanghai’s drag and invites the international audience to learn about China’s unique drag culture.
As a global mecca of trade, art and culture, Shanghai’s population is made up of locals and expatriates—there is a constant stream of people who come and go. Reflective of this, Shanghai’s resilient drag scene is characterised by its diversity and fluid nature. Drag performers of different nationalities take on vastly differing personas that blur gender binaries. They range from Dorian T. Frisk; “a concentrated dose of hyper masculinity” (Bao, Hongwei. “‘Shanghai Is Burning), to Ennis F. W.; a vibrant drag performer who takes on both feminine and masculine traits.
The documentary alternates between hand-held shots of the preparations of the show, direct engagement with the performers who are in their change rooms kiki-ing (drag slang with Black/Latino origins loosely defined as a chit-chat and gossip circle of close friends) as they paint their faces, and an interview dialogue with Miss Jade who is the host of the show and most prominent drag queen in Shanghai at the time. The informative dialogue that occurs between Miss Jade and Baren describes various aspects of Shanghai’s drag community whilst providing context for the audience who may be less well-versed in drag culture. Miss Jade touches on the history of drag in Chinese Peking opera performances and variety shows, before the rise of the empire of RuPaul’s Drag Race that put drag to the forefront of mainstream media, infiltrating the dominant cishet narrative around the world.
The remaining latter of the film features a very organic and raw depiction of the night as it proceeds. Extravaganza is not voyeuristic or objectifying—an issue that the queens have faced when collaborating with photographers. The film features a greater focus on the “laughter and creative energy backstage” (Matthew Baren on Eastern Independent) where performers engage with the camera and make casual conversations as shade is playfully thrown around. One distinctly memorable scene is of drag queen Mo Meaux who scrambles around theatre to collect her food delivery in half drag.
For China’s LGBTQ community, the emergence of a highly visible queer art form has allowed for greater acceptance and interest in drag—although still very much semi-underground due to ongoing LGBTQ media ban and legal ambiguity in China. Extravaganza reignites the importance of diversity in film as it exemplifies the unifying and uplifting power that drag holds.
Extravangaza is screening at the Mardi Grs Film Festival.
Bonnie (17)