By Kevin Ferrisi -

This past New Year’s Eve, the Chez Est in Hartford, CT hosted the ultimate New Year’s Eve bash featuring legend and icon Willam as well as Connecticut’s own, also from RuPaul’s Drag Race, Amethyst. We all know the arrival of the new year means it’s time for a celebration and making New Year’s resolutions but it’s also important, as you say goodbye to 2023 and welcome the start of 2024, to remember it’s a chance for everyone to feel hopeful about the future and reflect on our accomplishments of the past.

Looking back over the past year, the Chez Est has a lot to be proud of, after three of their own hometown talents, Loosey LaDuca, Robin Fierce and Amethyst, who call the Chez Est home, made it onto the main stage of RuPaul’s Drag Race for season 15. They were also host to a number of Drag Race royalty throughout 2023: Salina EsTitties and Aura Mayari, both from season 15, Denali from season 13, recently Detox from season 5, as well as the winner of season 15, Sasha Colby. Staying in true Chez fashion, to close out the year, Hartford’s only premier LGBTQ+ cabaret celebrated with superstar Willam from season 4 of the hit show.

In many countries, New Year’s celebrations begin on the evening of December 31st and continue into the early hours of January 1st. The Chez Est did just that, extending their operating hours for the holiday celebration until 3:00 in the morning. Before the clock struck midnight, eager fans lined up, awaiting their moment to snap a photo with Willam during the pre-show meet-and-greet for exclusive VIP ticket holders. Shortly after, the night’s cast, including Willam, united on stage to ring in the new year for the New Year’s Eve countdown before initiating the start of the first of two sets.

Local drag artists Astra, Hella Swagg, reigning Mx. Chez Est 2023 Rozz Aura, Angel Rivers and Natalia Fierce, as well as the special guest, Amethyst, each took to the stage to fire up the excited crowd as everyone anticipated Willam’s performances to follow. Amethyst ignited the crowd with her lip-sync number to a mashup of ‘Kitty Kat’ by Beyoncé and ‘Make This Kitty Purr’ by B. Ames as she prepared excited fans for the headliner of the evening. 

Willam opened her first number with a joke saying, “I want to take this opportunity to do a song about the best drag queen in the world,” as the intro to RuPaul’s ‘Cover Girl’ began to play before being interrupted by Willam, “Nooo!” as the music switches over to her original song ‘Derrick’, a spoof of ‘Baby One More Time’ by Britney Spears about RuPaul’s Drag Race season 8 contestant, Derrick Barry. Willam sang live, wearing an oversized white fur coat, which she removed mid-song to reveal a multi-colored neon windbreaker building up to the ultimate reveal: a pink lingerie nightie exposing a hilarious play on the female anatomy, sporting silicone prosthetics which included a triple breasted chest plate and a pierced labia, leaving the crown roaring in laughter.

After a short break and another round of local drag entertainers, Amethyst returned and performed her newly released single, ‘That OOO’ featuring B. Ames. Then Willam returned to close out the evening with another live performance of her original track ‘Boy Is A Bottom’, a parody of ‘Girl On Fire’ by Alicia Keys. She wore a matching neon-striped-on-white full body tracksuit, rocking a furry white Louis Vuitton fanny pack and a hot pink knitted ski mask. She amazed fans once again when she reached behind her head during her performance to power on the ski mask, which illuminated the images on the mask.

Willam is one of the four queens so far that has never lost a lip-sync when she was on season 4 of RuPaul’s Drag Race. Willam appeared in the movie ‘A Star Is Born’ and is the first queen from the show to be nominated for an Emmy in an acting role. She received the nomination for her work in the final season of Eastsiders. She also has launched a music career and released over six singles to date, including ‘Trouble’, ‘Chow Down’, ‘Let’s Have a Kai Kai’, ‘RuPaulogize’, and ‘Boy Is a Bottom’. In addition, she has also appeared as a guest commentator on Logo’s NewNowNext and competed on the first episode of Hulu’s Drag Me to Dinner. She now has a podcast with Alaska, from RuPaul’s Drag Race, called Race Chaser.

After Willam finished performing for the night, she asked the crowd, “Does anybody want one of my titties?” She shocked everyone by removing her breast fillers, which were unopened packets of peanut butter and jelly Smucker’s Uncrustables. She handed one to an audience member and proceeded to share the other with Amethyst as they each took a bite from one end as if in a classic romance movie. Willam later reunited with patrons on the main level of the venue to lounge and celebrate with one another welcoming in the new year!

As if the double dose of Ru-Girls wasn’t enough to close out one amazing year to welcome the next, being able to spend the last few minutes of 2023 and the first few of 2024 with the night’s entire cast and RuPaul’s Drag Race alums was a special moment. Joining them on stage for the countdown to midnight were Chez Est owners John Pepe and Luis Pepe, aka LuLu D. Fierce, as well as Connecticut’s own Robin Fierce and Chez Legends season 12 winner, Moxie Angel. After the show, Amethyst took to social media and shared with her followers, “Thank you Chez Est for welcoming me home to ring in the new year. I had such a blast with Willam.”