Musical theater and the art of drag go hand in hand — both involve costumes, wigs, makeup and occasionally over-the-top performances. So it’s no wonder that RuPaul’s Drag Race struck gold when it learned to mash the two together.
For nearly a decade, the Rusical challenge ascended beyond its humble origins, becoming a mainstay of nearly every season. Beginning with “Shade: The Rusical” back in season six, the theatrical exercise asked queens to deliver their best renditions of musical caricatures. Whether singing live or lip syncing along with a pre-recorded track, the goal remained the same: sell your role to the judges.
As season 15 contestant Loosey LaDuca explained to Billboard last year, the Rusical challenge works best because it is just that: a challenge. “You can’t just skate by in the Rusical — you can’t just go, ‘Oh, I hope to get through and be safe.’ You need to make an impact,” she said. “It’s a difficult challenge; you’re putting on a pretty extensive show, and having to learn it and perform it very quickly.”
The challenge itself may still be intact, but the artifice surrounding the Rusical has vastly changed. Throughout the numerous permutations of the challenge, the plot structures used for each Rusical have varied — some seasons employed entirely original creations, while others adapted the life stories of pop divas, historical figures, politicians and reality television stars to create a musical narrative.
In recent seasons, though, Drag Race seems to have found a formula that works — taking existing Broadway musicals and retrofitting them into a 12-minute cavalcade of drag hysteria. Spoofing properties like Moulin Rouge, Cats and most recently The Sound of Music, the Rusical format has blossomed into a ripe opportunity to poke fun at the art form itself.
So, what classic musical theatre productions deserve to get the Rusical treatment? Below, Billboard pitches five ideas for future based on beloved Broadway shows:
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Witch, Please: The Rusical
It is a known fact that RuPaul is obsessed with The Wizard of Oz — she even dedicated a makeover challenge on season 8 to the beloved story. What better way to showcase that love than through a Drag Race version of the beloved Broadway musical, Wicked? The groundwork is already there for an easy parody called Witch, Please — with a misunderstood lead, a pretty (though somewhat vapid) supporting role, a roguish love interest, a malevolently magical villain and enough memorable side characters to pad out a solid cast, Wicked presents a perfect opportunity to lovingly ridicule a legendary show, to spotlight one of Ru’s favorite stories, and to give the queens a good story to play along with! We could even have Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth back on the judges’ panel! With the film adaptation out soon, there’s no better time for a Wicked Rusical.
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West Side StoRu: The Rusical
One thing we’ve never seen in a Rusical is the art of stage fighting — the program likes to save the verbal fisticuffs for episodes of Untucked. But with a West Side Story parody, we’d finally get to see those sparring matches become overblown dance battles. What happens when two rival drag houses declare war against one another? Or when two queens from each side start a forbidden affair? If “Something’s Coming,” we certainly hope it’s a reimagining of this classic tragedy.
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My Fair Shady: The Rusical
“Wouldn’t It Be Loverly” if we got a Rusical version of this Broadway classic? A classic story of a woman being transformed from street urchin to high-society socialite, the plot of My Fair Lady is practically perfect in every way (to quote another Julie Andrews character) for a short, sweet parody. Maybe this version’s Eliza Doolittle is just a busted baby queen, who gets taken under the wing of an established star to elevate her drag to win a pageant; her elocution won’t need work, but her lip-syncing skills might! Just the image of a main stage full of queens doing their most over the top, ridiculous British accents makes us want to dance all night.
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ChicaGurl: The Rusical
If you’re looking for a Rusical with a little “Razzle Dazzle,” then a Chicago parody seems like obvious choice. The story of two merry murderesses trying to use the media circus around their trials to become famous already has the hallmarks of an over-the-top lampooning. Plus, the iconic choreography gives Ru an excuse to give the queens some Fosse-style sequences to try and dance to, making the challenge that much harder. After her run as Matron Mama Morton on Broadway, season five and All Stars 7 winner Jinkx Monsoon could even come back to offer the queens some helpful tips on how to infuse “All That Jazz” into their performances.
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Little Shop of HorrRus: The Rusical
The central tenet of any acting challenge on Drag Race is the concept of camp, and there is arguably no Broadway musical more campy than Little Shop of Horrors. Make a few cosmetic changes — perhaps Audrey II is a murderous wig instead of a man-eating plant, and Seymour works as a hapless hairstylist rather than a bumbling botanist — and you’ve got a killer challenge on your hands (in the most literal sense). Fans asking the show’s producers to “Feed Me” would be left fat and happy with this delectable Rusical.
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