Jabez Kelly, aka EXXXta-C, a city-based drag queen, wants to break gender norms through his drag shows. Having performed in almost 27 countries, his show on Wednesday at the Secret Society Bar is special, as it is the first time a bar in the city is hosting a drag show.
CHENNAI: Ever since Chennai had its first Drag Show last year, the concept has constantly been gaining momentum, thanks to the city-based drag queen, Jabez Kelly, aka EXXXta-C. The drag queen who will be performing at the Secret Society Bar, this week, talks to us about living like a ‘queen’.
For the uninitiated, a drag is a form of self-expression that includes extravagant dresses, makeup, accessories (often to imitate one or many famous personalities from the opposite sex), humour, dance, lipsync and a lot of ‘serious jokes’ often done to blur gender lines. This glittery concept was brought to the city in January 2017 as part of the Chennai Rainbow Film Festival, where Jabez had also performed.
“The main idea of a drag is to break gender norms. After I performed as part of CRFF (Chennai Rainbow Film Festival) in 2017, I received offers to perform in clubs across the country and that’s when I became a full-time drag artiste. Before that, I used to perform for smaller LGBTIQA+ events,” says Jabez.
Four months after the show in Chennai, Jabez performed the Gabrielle show, which was tagged as the ‘first exclusive drag’ performance, along with two other drag artistes at Backyard (Adyar), a popular co-working space, paving way for an open culture. “It was challenging to find an inclusive place to host a drag show. Not many were ready to house people from the community. But I finally found Backyard. It was a private show and I was the producer, manager and director of the event. I was overwhelmed by the response it received,” recalls Jabez.
Since then, Jabez has been hosting and performing in shows and has also done three world tours, covering 20-27 countries. He is the city’s first international drag queen, whose previous drag name/avatar was Gabrielle Jasmine Marquez. “I now have changed it to EXXXta-C...with a triple X, just like my dress size!” says the self-confessed ‘insult comedy’ afficionado.
Since drag is exclusively meant for late evenings and nights, the idea to host it in a club was always on the cards. “The night scene in Bengaluru and Mumbai are different when compared to Chennai. So when I planned to do one in the city, one of our managers called Secret Society bar in RA Puram. After a lot of discussion, I met the partners and the manager of the club. Honestly, I didn’t expect them to be open about it.
But they were and I was excited to join hands with them. Everything fell in place and we wanted to do this show as soon as possible,” says Jabez about the upcoming show, which will be a first-of-its-kind. “This will be the first time any bar in the city will be hosting a drag show!”
While performing with silicone breasts, multiple layers of makeup, an overweight wig, tonnes of jewellery and a tight corset is in itself a difficult yet ‘fun task’, to get ready is tougher, opines Jabez. “I start at least three to four hours prior to the show. Most queens sort their costumes, wig and makeup a month prior to the show. But I do things last minute and it has worked well for me.”
He has a few shows lined up in the coming months and adds, “I cannot reveal much about the shows now. But, I am looking to work with other clubs in the city. I am focused on completing my degree. But if I get some good offers, I will definitely take it up!”
Expectations from the show
“I hope people don’t snatch my wig (laughs).I am looking forward to meeting people who will be watching a drag show for the first time. I want people to be amused by how things pan out in a drag show, enjoy themselves and appreciate the art form.”
