Queen of drag Sasha Velour is returning to the Windy City, this time for The Big Reveal Live Show at the Steppenwolf Theatre. The gender fluid artist is spending 90 minutes with Chicago audiences this summer for two performances at the iconic venue.
After winning the ninth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race in 2017, they didn’t slow down but instead revved up for more performances. They founded The House of Velour to produce live extravaganzas such as Smoke & Mirrors and NightGowns.
In 2023, she wrote a book titled The Big Reveal: An Illustrated Manifesto of Drag; The Big Reveal Live Show is a reflection of that work. Recent projects include last year’s reality show, We’re Here, on HBO and this year’s King of Drag on Revry
Shortly before her arrival, Velour revealed more about the upcoming appearance.
Windy City Times: Last time we were together was in Los Angeles when my Critics Choice committee gave you a Reality TV Award for We’re Here.
Sasha Velour: I went to another ceremony later that week and your event was way more A-List. The LGBTQ+ show was the place to be as usual!
WCT: Are you based in New York?
SV: Yes, but I spent over a decade living in Champaign-Urbana, so I know Illinois and Chicago very well. I went to Steppenwolf as a high school student, so I am excited to be there.
WCT: How was it performing The Big Reveal Live Show at Berkeley Rep?
SV: I had dreamed for a long time about being in these supportive, well-known theater spaces. After becoming a drag queen, I have been able to circle back to that.
I think this is just the beginning of drag being welcomed more and more in a theater. I am seeing this all around with artists such as Jinkx Monsoon and Cole Escola. There is space for queer art as we imagine it to exist in theatrical venues. What we do is no different than producing a musical.
WCT: Would you like to capture The Big Reveal in a movie production?
SV: I would love to film the show one day, like many of my shows. I would have to officially pay for the music at that time. I am using it with a festival and cabaret licensing right now.
I would need to write heartfelt letters to every diva and their music licensing agencies to beg for the rights!
WCT: I interviewed Christina Aguilera through email one time, so maybe we could write her for permission for “The Voice Within” that you use in Reveal.
SV: I will pull from every connection I have in this industry to get that song.
WCT: Talk about some of the music used in this show.
SV: I love the art of the lip synch and I wanted to play with some of the stupidity of it. There are very heartfelt artistic moments in this show, too, but with the political situation that we are all facing, I needed to create a show that was full of camp and silliness in all directions.
To honor the fact that I wrote the Reveal book, I start the show dressed up like an armchair reading. The show unfolds from there.
WCT: Did Joella steal this idea to become a drag mattress on season 17 of RuPaul’s Drag Race?
SV: Well, I do wonder if she saw how beautiful a drag face looks peering through a tiny hole in material. It is a great frame for the gorgeousness of our faces.
WCT: Is it tough to top your last act and outdo your previous work with something more revealing?
SV: Sometimes, but I have an endless amount of bad ideas that I think about until they turn [into] a brilliant idea. I am committed to trying anything out and it’s one of my special abilities.
WCT: It’s your superpower!
SV: Yes. I can’t sing or dance and I’m not that funny, but I can think of a dumb gag and pull it off. That is what I am doing all over the world until I run out of ideas, which is not happening anytime soon.
WCT: How is this different than the last time you were at the Broadway Playhouse in Chicago with The Big Reveal Live Show?
SV: This is a more expanded version. It’s the same basic show adapted from my book, but I leaned more into it being a play. The last version was a book event on steroids turned into a drag show.
This is very scripted, using what I learned on the road from touring that show in North America. I have added at least three new numbers, more choreography and different set pieces. I have been interested in how drag can be seen as proper theater. In these settings, it opens up a new context with different audiences.
Art, drag, theater and queer culture are all struggling, so it’s time to unify our forces. We are doing the same thing. We are telling stories and entertaining people. We are helping people see the humanity in others that might not look or sound like them. This is definitely theater. We’ve got a script with sets and lighting designs paired with drag banter and lip synching. It’s the best of all worlds!
WCT: If you were going to make a sequel to this book or show, what would it be like?
SV: I put everything I had experienced into the book. I talked about my childhood and my ancestral past, along with the present community and where the art of drag came from. It was a tall order and a lot was packed into one book.
I need to become an old drag queen before I write anything else. Documenting my experiences with aging has already begun and I hope I have a long career to continue doing this! [laughs]
WCT: That’s a good point because RuPaul is always looking for a young drag queen with a social media following, but there is a wide age range out there.
SV: I have found that someone’s age in the queer world is a sign of royalty and pride. To be mother you have to be over a certain age. I feel like I am just now arriving there.
WCT: What have you learned by writing about drag history?
SV: The cycles could not be clearer around queer expression. This is not the first time we have not been accepted and drag queens will never be silent about that. We hope not to be stranded out here screaming.
The battles we are fighting are for everyone’s good. Queer people and straight people are on the same side and our mission is for freedom and joy. Those things are universal and we need to keep moving forward.
WCT: How do you balance the money spent on drag costumes and jewelry?
SV: I am still figuring that out. No expense is spared on creating a show as long as I am not losing money, I feel satisfied. Recouping the money has happened on all of the tours and I am thankful for that. As expensive as my costumes are, we are still leaner and meaner than a Broadway show.
WCT: Was it hard to navigate the spiky costume you wore at the Critics Choice event?
SV: It was tricky to navigate because I kept running into people. I borrowed it from designer Kevin Germanier, who just costumed Eurovision. I dragged my sleeve through the fish on my plate and then spent an hour trying to clean it up before I put it into a box to send back.
WCT: That was the sea bass you had, then…
SV: Yes and maybe I should have worn different dinner attire. I never choose being practical ever. That’s so banal!
WCT: Do you shave every day or do you let your hair grow out sometimes?
SV: For my shows, I am always bald. Sometimes I don’t have to shave my head, which is nice because it hurts.
WCT: Do you ever go out in public in disguise to avoid pictures?
SV: People don’t recognize me sometimes at the gay bars when I don’t shave my eyebrows. I bet if I wore a wig out of drag, no one would have any idea who I am.
WCT: Did you watch RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars recently?
SV: Always. I loved it!
WCT: Did you like that season 10 had tournament brackets?
SV: I did like it and I loved the fact of having more drag queens. I tried to be surprised while watching it, but someone spoiled the whole season for me.
We had Aja and Bosco at NightGowns this year. It was fun hearing the behind-the-scenes from them about the show and all the tea. I was rooting for them so much and to see them excel was super exciting.
WCT: King of Drag star Tenderoni performed in Nightgowns in 2024 and has been a staple in the Chicago drag scene for years.
SV: I love Tenderoni and truly one of the best drag performers in the world, period. We just did the first-ever King of Drag competition. Sitting next to him in the judges’ chairs was a trip and I hope we get to do it again.
WCT: What is one project that you wish you had time for?
SV: I wish I had more time for visual art. Drawing was my gateway drug into drag. I have a sketchbook that I keep and I have always dreamed of having a gallery show. Maybe one day I can present my paintings and show mixed media collages. There is still time for that!
WCT: What are your plans after the tour?
SV: I always have a million things in the works. I am writing a brand new show for next year. It is planned to debut in March in DC and then travel the world. It’s called Travesty and the taglines are witches, time travel and revolution. It’s the first piece of mine that is not so personal and is about the history of drag. It is chaotic and people will love it.
I have also been writing a TV show for a while. It’s fictional and scripted. I love for it to be picked up and I am going to keep submitting it.
I am interested in exploring directing more, especially since I have directed two tours around the world. I want to learn more about that and bring even more drag into the theater.
That’s all on the docket for next year, so I have plenty to do!
Before Sasha sashays away, find tickets for The Big Reveal Live Show on Aug. 1 and 2 at steppenwolf.org. Velour’s book will be available for purchase at either show at 1650 N. Halsted St. or ordered at sashavelour.com.