QUEENS COME EAST: The big hair! The OTT gowns! The innuendo! Gender illusionists Divine Joanne Neilson, Mia Slapper, Amanduh La Whore, and Spanky Jackzon are about to bring their show Queens Come East to Gisborne for two nights only.
Business owner, LGBTQIA+ advocate, wife, and celebrant, Neilson's career has possibly never been as glittering as when Divine Joanne Neilson and her troupe take their dance numbers and risque comedy Queens Come East to the stage.
“Drag is different for everyone and has been around for centuries,” Neilson once told
interviewer Little Miss Cinnamon.
“I came up with NZ drag icons like Niccole Duval, Carmen Rupe, Tiny Tina and Samantha James. Their drag was to look as feminine as possible and to be an amazing entertainer.
“Today, drag can be a performer on stage with a beard, hairy chest and massive false eyelashes. Both have their place and, as an older queen, I have to be aware that the young drag scene has a place. Each is valuable and each is drag.”
Cinnamon describes Neilson as a seasoned performer who loves a campy tune from the 50s and 60s through to modern classics, and to share a joke or two with her audience.
