Review: DRAG TRIVIA AT HOME with Carmen And Vera

Wednesday Night Trivia at The Boom has been postponed because of the ongoing quarantine. The regular hostess Drag Queens, Carmen Deveraux and Vera Ball, have taken the show online via Facebook Live in a weekly interactive web show. Quarantined together and sitting pretty in front of their boxed wine sculpture, Deveraux and Ball read questions in the categories of Art, Geography, History, and pop culture. Live viewers can post comments for their answers, or say whatever is on their minds, as well as send donations to either artist via their personal Venmo and PayPal accounts.

Fully beautified in all their drag regalia, this presentation puts all those quarantined and on day three (or four) of the same clothes to shame. Both have lashes, lips, hair, and contouring that must've taken hours. This makes me question how proud I am of myself for taking a shower by 6 pm some days, but I'm also impressed by their showmanship (or is it show-woman-ship?). Another standout detail is the innovation that's required to bring a full drag-night trivia show to an online forum. It's something the theatre world has yet to master, but hopefully we'll see more of, and hopefully they'll take a note from performances like this. The more interactive the better, and both Ball and Deveraux enjoy playing off and for their digital audience.

This trivia show is exactly what you'll experience when you attend in person at The Boom, and no excuses are made for the current social distance/6 ft apart weirdness we live in. Googling is heavily discouraged, and nobody is keeping score. The Queens take shots to start the show, with an off-the-cuff limerick by Deveraux to wash it down. Ball's feigned shock as Deveraux's limerick twists freakier and dirtier brings as much hilarity as the poem itself.

Ball and Devereaux's ability to stay funny and light-hearted at a time when so many are struggling is impressive and inspiring. On a personal note, this show is a highlight of my week and puts a, rarely seen these days, genuine smile on my face.

The trivia is somewhat challenging, but takes a backseat to the quips and stories provided in between each question. The two Queens play well off each other, with natural chemistry between this real-life couple. Neither fails to have a comeback or two, and each comment quickly takes a turn into the raunchy, dirty, and over the top. Ball plays the more conservative, innocent side, while Deveraux is unbridled and naughty. Nobody knows what will come out of either of their mouths, but it's sure to be a NSFW, mildly offensive dream come true. It's pure drag performance, and it teaches us one thing. When The Boom is back up and running, when bars and friends and "female impersonation" are a part of our everyday again, we simply must all make a point to go see them for Wednesday Night Trivia at The Boom.

Drag is the ultimate form of escapism. It pokes fun at everything we consider "normal", and it's more relevant now than ever. Normal doesn't even exist anymore, and these two performers are making a night of it.

A scroll through our timelines, the push notifications and hourly television briefings continue to inundate us with more bad news. "Social media fatigue" is a new term for a very real problem, and the levity and irreverence brought by this digital drag show is a breath of fresh, COVID-free air we all need.

For more information on the weekly Digital At Home Trivia, Follow The Boom on Facebook.

To post a comment, you must register and login.

 

---

Join Team BroadwayWorld

Are you an avid theatergoer? We're looking for people like you to share your thoughts and insights with our readers. Team BroadwayWorld members get access to shows to review, conduct interviews with artists, and the opportunity to meet and network with fellow theatre lovers and arts workers.

Interested? Learn more here.

---