It is in the spirit of that showbiz adage that these ambitious beauties will hit the North Park stage and bring their respective brands of charisma, unique- ness, nerve and talent. Who knows? Tantrums & Tiaras may produce a grand diva or two in the process. As the dance music queen Kristine W summarized, “They have to have the goods to back it up. The word diva to me has always meant a strong, talented performer— which is my first translation when I hear the word.” Seeing as the contestants are unseasoned indi- viduals there will definitely be an element of surprise, which both Ramon and Schwartz believe is vital to the contest. “I feel it is important for the contest to have amateurs because we get fresh personalities with no expectations,” Schwartz explained. “This way, they are free to grow and develop their characters as they go along. Also, there is always the hope that someone will fall or have a ‘wardrobe malfunction.’ In my mind, the ‘girls’ should pack a big bag of pizazz, pluck and powder.” Ramon continues in that vein, “It gives the show
spontaneity. Being over-the-top and politically- incorrect will be important for the win. Also, how outrageous the characters are they portray will contribute to a good show.” Character studies aside, if the 2009 T&T edition was
any indication, the competing bar queens will have a myriad of show-stopping tricks up their sleeves. “The first year we did the show, a Baja Betty’s contestant had a live donkey on stage with him,” Ramon recount- ed. Apparently Bodenmiller was a bit flummoxed, “Daniel flew down from the stage! “ “It was an amazing show and this year’s will be too.”
Schwartz agreed as to what the standout moment from the past was; “The donkey for sure” she said. “I have always wanted to incorporate a goat into my act, but the donkey sort of trumped that.” As a performer, Kristine has had to contend with her share of moments gone wild. The one that stands out for her and is animal- relevant, well sort of, at least in the fur sense; “The craziest thing that ever happened to me on stage was in Vegas,” she said. “It was a straight
crowd of course it was a packed house. We did a dance break and my clip-on hair piece flew off, right into the front row! The audience started freaking out and tossing it in terrror, thinking it was a live animal! Girl, a gay man would have
clipped it on and danced around!” Participation in the event had a two-fold appeal
for Kristine, which perfectly fits her “high-energy personality” and perfectly compliments her love of making up-tempo dance music. The Billboard Maga- zine“Dance Artist of the Decade” has a deep and abid- ing affinity for the gay community, love that has its roots in her childhood. “I have always had mostly gay friends because I’m drawn to super-creative people and I’m in show business,” she explained. “My favorite teacher and my musical mentor was also gay. We could never talk about it because we lived in a very conservative farming community; I told everyone my mom was his girlfriend to protect him. Kristine had this to say about Tantrums & Tiaras, “I have lots of friends in San Diego and it’s always a great time here. It’s also a fundraiser to help the gay community. Fabulous people, fun and a good cause …I’m in.” As far as the good cause portion of the show, Ra-
mon explained how The San Diego LGBT Community Center benefits from the event and vice versa. “The Center is backing the show and supports the event. It will get 100 percent of the proceeds. Each bar and contestant is donating time and money for the performances and we are working on keeping the costs down.” He continued, “We have great sponsors that are donating resources and money to support us. We also encourage audience members and organizations to bring checks with notes reflecting any dedications to love ones, etc. to the event so that we can read them during the show.” And speaking of notes, and we’re talkin’ C-notes here (cash money), audience members are also encouraged to “deco- rate” by tossing crumpled bills on stage when they like what they see during each act. As for what to anticipate during this epic battle,
Ramon said this, “Expect to see an over-the-top drag pageant that is politically incorrect! It will be a place to have fun and also give back to The Center in a night of laughs. Expect cat fights, wigs coming off and drag queens tumbling off their heels!” Preparations for the evening’s emcee, Babette
Schwartz, include “a retreat in Sedona, AZ to recharge my crystals and chakras” as well as “a refresher course at the Mary Murphy Ballroom.” She “accidentally” let a proverbial puss out of the
bag, “Word on the street is that one of the contestants has procured a liger (lion+tiger=oh my) for her talent portion. What could possibly go wrong there?”
Tantrums & Tiaras takes place onSunday, February 16 at 7 p.m. in The Birch North Park Theatre, 2891 University Avenue. For tickets and more information go
tomosuniverse.com.
FEBRUARY 2014 | RAGE monthly FEBRUARY 2014 | 13
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