Putting the Spotlight on Drag: ‘A Gothic Wedding’ at The Huntington Theatre

On Feb. 13, The Huntington Theatre in Boston ushered in Valentine’s Day with a spooky, spectacular drag show, “Spotlight: A Gothic Wedding,” celebrating the season of love and the art of drag.

“What's theater known most for? The spotlight,” said Lulu Levity — who co-hosted, performed, and produced the show with fellow drag performer Silva.

Levity recalled the origins of the show’s name, “Spotlight: A Gothic Wedding.”

“And it’s also like, a double entendre, because it's putting the spotlight on — literally and figuratively — on drag,” said Levity.

The “Spotlight: A Gothic Wedding” program, which showed its second installment of the Spotlight series that night, sought to highlight local drag with a unique variety of styles, often subverting the expectations of what people think drag looks like.

The event’s hosts, Lulu Levity and Silva, are drag performers and producers from Rhode Island who produce drag under the Spotlight moniker. Marking the second Spotlight series event hosted at The Huntington Theatre, an audience of fans — old and new — flocked to the black-box venue with dollar bills in hand that evening.

Blending unnervingly gothic themes with a romantic Valentine’s aesthetic was an unlikely but effectively entertaining combination. Levity recalled planning the event with her co-host and longtime colleague, Silva, and the moment she thought of combining “the idea of love and scariness” from Friday the 13th and Valentine’s Day.

“And I think it’s very reminiscent of us because we’ve been together for almost five years now, and we're like, you know, at this point, it's just a matter of time before the question gets popped,” said Levity. “It's amazing that I get to share drag with her, and having a gothic wedding is just fun.”

The theme also inspired performers to tailor their performances to the one-night-only production.

“It’s a great way to push people’s creativity, I feel like, and it’s a great way for us to just do something that I feel is out of the ordinary,” said Levity.

Levity spoke about her desire to expose a wider audience to the creative potential of drag.

“I hope that the audience is seeing a new side of drag, where I feel like alternative slash Gothic drag isn’t really showcased all that much in the drag scene,” Levity said. “And if it is, it’s more underground.”

The Spotlight series events allow alternative and creatively ambitious drag to reach more people. To Levity, The Huntington was the perfect place to “show and share queer art.”

Silva moreover expressed how the show was meant to celebrate the broad potential and diversity of drag.

“If it were all drag queens, this wouldn't really be representing our local drag scene the way that it should be, because it's so rich in the diversity of talent and the diversity of esthetics and brands that these performers create for themselves,” said Silva.

“Spotlight: A Gothic Wedding” also created a space to celebrate the diverse identities and styles of drag artists, welcoming performers like Patty Bourree, Lucite, Andi Van Dyke, Nerukessa, and special guest Julie J.

Silva expressed her hope to support and present marginalized communities, highlighting performances by drag kings, performers of color, and transgender performers, and bringing attention to underrepresented drag artists.

For Silva and Levity, Spotlight provides the opportunity to showcase “the nitty gritty” of local drag.

Illuminated by the theatre’s red and pink lights, performers moved through scenes that blended Gothic and romantic elements. The acts ranged in tone from subdued and melancholic to comedic. Audience members reached towards the stage, some waving dollar bills.

“I just hope that at the end of the day, if someone’s not gagging for our drag, that they take something away from it,” said Levity. “I always hope that someone walks home from the show, or drives home, and they're like, ‘That was a really good show. I would go to see another.’”

At the end of the night, the performers lined up to take a photo together as the audience applauded. When the lights came back on, many stepped down from the stage to greet audience members. After the finale, the curtains were drawn on “A Gothic Wedding.”

—Staff writer Micaela S. Arenas can be reached at [email protected]