By Kevin Ferrisi –
Large and in charge, chunky yet funky, bold and beautiful, international drag superstar Latrice Royale, from RuPaul’s Drag Race, returned to Connecticut and asked the question, ‘Why It Gotta Be WHITE Christmas?!’ in a campy yet sincere look at holiday traditions. This past weekend, the Space Ballroom in Hamden, CT welcomed back living legend Latrice Royale for the second time this year. After touring the country delivering her first holiday show to close out the year, she made her second-to-last stop on the tour right here in state and served up her funky yet soulful festive holiday show.
Royale’s ‘Why It Gotta Be WHITE Christmas?!’ starring Latrice herself joined by her husband and music director, Christopher Hamblin on piano, was a comedic, passionate production that featured a variety of holiday music and personal stories delivered with Latrice’s witty candidness and unmistakable charm. The drag icon shared her unique perspective on life, family and holiday traditions. A little bit heartfelt and a little bit silly, the Royale’s shared songs and stories of their own holiday memories as they took a unique, outsider perspective on holiday traditions and how they differ between different households and cultures. The holiday romp compared the cultural and climate differences between the holidays during Latrice’s upbringing in Compton, California, with her husband Christopher’s childhood Christmas traditions in Tennessee and how it relates to the way they celebrate the season living in Florida today.
The event kicked off with a meet-and-greet with the RuPaul’s Drag Race season 4 contestant for VIP ticket holders. Drag fans took advantage of a personal photo op with Latrice and had the chance to receive personalized autographs as well. Connecticut is a special place for the Royale’s. Each time they have visited, they have humbly invited and shared the stage with a special guest and friend, established gospel singer Dawn Tallman, who sang at Latrice and Christopher’s wedding. During the holiday show, Dawn joined the married couple in singing ’12 Gays of Christmas’ a parody of the holiday favorite ’12 Days of Christmas’, even lending a number to her for a solo performance of the season’s classic ‘The Christmas Song’.
Break-out star Latrice Royale premiered her first holiday show after a critically acclaimed and extended tour this past spring. In May of this year, Latrice graced the Space Ballroom stage during her tour, ‘Life Goes On’, celebrating decades in the business. Through comedy, storytelling and music, Latrice shared how she’s risen from the lowest points in her life, letting nothing stand in her way. It was a story of soul, resilience, heart, and determination. She took you on a journey that started with the story of her rough childhood that led to earning time in jail and how she landed on RuPaul’s Drag Race, which changed her life forever.
Latrice’s undeniable talent came to the world’s attention on season 4 of RuPaul’s Drag Race in 2012. The sharing of her background in prison, difficult upbringing, and her “Get up, look sickening, and make them eat it” attitude won her the title of Miss Congeniality during her season. She was invited back to participate as a contestant in RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars and as a Professor in RuPaul’s Drag U. Since that time, she has made appearances all over the world, including a special television appearance with Jennifer Hudson on CBS’s Fashion Rocks as well as competing on an episode of Hulu’s first season of Drag Me to Dinner. Her story is further explored in the documentary ‘Gays in Prison’ by director Christopher Hines, which aired on LOGO TV.
Latrice left the audience with a few sentiments before bidding a farewell, which emphasized the importance of self-care, discussing how often people will ignore their physical exhaustion or declining mental health due to wanting to please others. This holiday season, Latrice Royale and her husband Christopher Hamblin warmed the room and our hearts, offering drag fans a festive cup-of-cheer that illuminated our differences, celebrated our commonalities and closed out the year with a kiki!
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