GAYLETTER

Fantasia Royale Gaga is many things, a showgirl, a Sagitarrius, and the season one winner of Out TV’s Hot Haus. Originally hailing from Jacksonville, for nearly a decade, “The Body” as she’s known has been perfecting her act down in Miami, a mainstay at Palace Bar in South Beach, which is also where she posed for us oceanside. She was on a birthday trip in Puerto Rico, however, when Brooklyn’s Chiquitita called her up for a heartfelt chat about a year of leveling up, early role models for transness, and how she’s navigated requiring respect from her family.

Hi, how are you? I’m good. How are you doing?

I’m good. Do you remember me by the way? [Laughs] We met at C’mon Everybody in Brooklyn. I was telling you that I stole something from you, and you said, “You stole something from me?” I was like, “I did.” And I pulled out this pink rhinestone. Do you remember? Oh my gosh, yes, yes, yes. Because they had fallen off my costume [Laughs]. I do, I do.

Oh my God. It’s good hearing from you. How is Puerto Rico? We are enjoying ourselves a lot over here. It’s my first time in Puerto Rico.

What made you wanna go to Puerto Rico for your birthday? Well, originally I was supposed to go to Paris again, so those plans failed. Then I was supposed to go on a cruise with some of my friends and they all booked their cruise. …

When you’re seeing two of the most iconic performers in contemporary drag, what’s more exciting than being in the front row? For me, it’s getting to be backstage with my camera. That’s where the show behind the show takes place.

After many years of taking portraits of queer performers, icons, nightlife personalities and artist colleagues, I had never photographed Violet Chachki or Gottmik until their Halloween show in West Hollywood. The vibe backstage was ideal for capturing a different side of these fierce fashion queens — away from the public I was able to capture a tender, more nuanced side of the queens — without sacrificing the impressive level of drag and performance. And with these two, there’s always plenty of wit, tea, banter and reading.

For many queers, Halloween is our favorite holiday, it’s when we get to dress up and live out some fantasy that doesn’t fit into the everyday. For Violet and Gottmik, it’s Halloween all year long, something I take pleasure in watching on stage, backstage, on screen, and through the camera lens.

Up next, catch Violet Chachki and Gottmik in a limited run of their show “Christmas Misfits: A Drag Holiday Extravaganza” in a few cities in the USA.

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Michael R. Jackson used to work as a Broadway usher mere blocks away from where his new musical, A Strange Loop, is running at the Lyceum Theater. His show, which won the Tony Award for Best Musical and Best Book of a Musical, was in development for 18 years, and what began as a one-person monologue gradually evolved into a full musical production. After garnering rave reviews during its Off-Broadway run at Playwrights Horizons in 2019, winning a Pulitzer for drama in 2020, and attracting a star-studded roster of producers, like Jennifer Hudson, Alan Cumming, and RuPaul (to name a few), A Strange Loop opened on Broadway in April 2022.

Jackson is from Detroit, Michigan, and came to New York City as an undergrad to study playwriting at NYU. To walk down 7th Avenue with him now is surreal, in part because of the ubiquity of banner ads for A Strange Loop. Look down every single street near Times Square and you’ll see them fluttering overhead, purple and orange, like a fabulous series of sunsets right above the traffic. As we weave around tourists and taxis, I ask if he’s used to the feeling yet of seeing his work celebrated like this, he replies, “used to?” and chuckles to himself.

A Strange Loop is about Usher, a big Black queer Broadway usher who’s about to turn 26. Usher is writing a musical about a Black queer Broadway usher named Usher who’s writing a musical, and finds himself caught in a series of loops born of his own self-perceptions. …

We met up with Matt Rogers, at the Bowery Hotel in New York City, where the comedian, singer, and Las Culturistas co-host was staying, while in town to perform his annual musical spectacular Have You Heard of Christmas? Matt was gracious and willing to create some iconic whale tail imagery for this feature and to also answer some probing questions.

What was your first onstage comedy experience? I guess this would be when I hosted my high school talent show, which can’t possibly have been funny but at the time I thought was an absolute barnburner.

Who was the last person to make you laugh? Christine Quinn walked into a room on Selling Sunset and I did laugh.

Who was the last person to make you cry? The Survivor contestants Shan and Liana had a conversation about their bond on the last episode that made me cry.

What is your current favorite YouTube search? “Ramona Singer gets dragged.”

What was the first thing you did this morning? I “morning’d”. Which means I jacked off.

Best piece of advice? My fourth grade teacher Mr. D told me at the end of the year to “have more fun.”

Worst piece of advice? My first manager in New York told me to wear pants that were too tight because the casting directors look at your butt when you leave rooms. My pants were already too tight at the time so this can’t have encouraged good choices aesthetically and behaviorally. …