The World of Sasha Velour: Part Two

morena (she/her) 

Recently, I had the opportunity to see revolutionary drag artist and performer Sasha Velour at The Big Reveal: Live Show! on Jan. 17th. In this second installment of “The World of Sasha Velour”, I will be sharing the best moments from the show. If you missed it, please go read the first part of this mini-series, where I actually had the opportunity to interview her directly about her relationship to drag and how she created this wonderful production. 

Recently, I had the opportunity to see revolutionary drag artist and performer Sasha Velour at The Big Reveal: Live Show! on Jan. 17th. In this second installment of “The World of Sasha Velour”, I will be sharing the best moments from the show. If you missed it, please go read the first part of this mini-series, where I actually had the opportunity to interview her directly about her relationship to drag and how she created this wonderful production. 

For context, you may know Sasha Velour as the winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race season nine in 2017. However, she has been keeping herself VERY busy ever since her big win. She has since created her own comic series, wrote her very own book, became an executive producer, and much more!

Most recently, she has been traveling on tour, bringing her one-queen show entitled The Big Reveal: Live Show! across North America and Europe. I had the privilege of seeing this show in person in Ann Arbor, Michigan with my partner and some friends at the Michigan Theater, and I wanted to take this opportunity to share my personal favorite moments from the show. 


**SPOILERS BELOW**

In a traditional concert or performance, you expect to see the performer walk out on stage or rise up in a Hannah Montana–esque fashion. Not with Sasha Velour! Instead, she appears unexpectedly, almost like magic. Right before the show officially begins, the audience can see a preview of her set from their seats [a sofa chair, a lamp, and a vintage TV set decorate the stage]. I was thinking nothing of it at the time, but this was so important for her first big reveal. In a twist of events, as the music begins and the lights turn on, you see Sasha’s face illuminated– she was disguised as the chair itself!! That being said, her first reveal was so unexpected and lit the entire theater on fire. I remember how loud all of the gays got when we realized she was already on stage! Sasha then wasted no time in providing an incredible performance– all while still dressed as a chair!

Photo courtesy of House of Velour for Media Coverage.

Following her electric introduction, Sasha takes the time to slow things down, even if only for a moment, to explain her personal connection to drag. In this next segment, Sasha allowed the audience to get to know her by recalling her childhood memories of dressing up and putting on plays in her backyard. She plays these memories on the vintage TV set, allowing the audience to watch along with her while she explains the context of said memories. This section of the show was so heartwarming, and my personal favorite segment of the night. In my own Mexican culture, we call a story like this a testimonio; a personal story in which someone shares a vulnerable experience with others to both preserve the memory and to call others to action. In this case, Sasha shared her own experience with drag alongside a brief history of the art, which allowed audiences to feel the importance and necessity of drag today (both personally and throughout time). It truly was a privilege to hear her story through her own words, and to see videos of baby Sasha performing for her family.

Next, she returns to the extravagance and iconic reveals within her choreography. In an all pink fit, Sasha stuns the stage once more– and ends up breaking a glass of wine over her head! At points, I was under the assumption that the bottle was a prop, and it must have been empty. But of course it wasn’t, at least not with this queen! The wine was seen spilling out of the glass as she performed and she used the entire stage to her advantage to provide some serious laughs and entertainment. The outfit reveal itself was stunning, but the use of props made it one of the most engaging performances I’ve seen.

Okay, in my opinion, a drag show almost NEEDS to have at least one Britney Spears song included in the setlist. And boy, did Sasha Velour deliver! As a transition, she utilized the screens of the theater to showcase a digital Sasha Velour trapped inside of a computer screen, singing along to “Toxic” by Britney (of course). I thought this was a great idea to use short pre-recorded performances during important costume and scene changes, as it allowed the atmosphere of suspense and excitement to continue to fill her audiences without a formal intermission. The fun doesn’t stop at a Sasha Velour show after all! The creativity of this scene alone is why it makes my personal list of the top moments from the show. 

The longest and most entertaining segment of the show is what my partner referred to as the “red phone section”. As the set changes, Sasha is seen alone with a small red landline in the middle of the stage. As she tried to talk, the phone began to ring. She answers reluctantly, but each time she hangs up, the phone line rings once more. Audio clips [ranging from “Hello” by Adele to “XOXO, Gossip Girl”] are heard from the audience– making this segment so engaging! I remember thinking about where the segment would go, and each time I thought I caught on, something new happened! It was so entertaining to watch and try to guess what would happen next. 

Photo courtesy of House of Velour for Media Coverage.

Another top moment from the show for me reminds me of Sasha’s earlier testimonio. In this section, she addresses the audience directly, bringing attention to the harmlessness, the importance, and the necessity of drag in 2025. Especially given the rise of anti-trans and anti-queer rhetoric being spread as a result of the presidential election, I thought this section did something revolutionary for activism. Instead of falling into the trap of depressing messaging, she creates art that is meant to uplift people. She creates performances in which people are encouraged to fight back against the anti-queer rhetoric through positive means; she encourages people to create their own art, share their own stories, in a form of rebellion. In this way, she is very effective at conveying the message that queer people, and particularly drag performers, aren’t harmful [as some media would love to claim]. But more importantly, she tells the world we aren’t going anywhere. 

Finally, I want to take a moment for Sasha Velour and her wig [she ate that]. During this performance, she nods to her iconic Drag Race lip sync battle to reveal confetti hidden underneath the wig. For me personally, it felt like this was a great reveal both for people who were new to Sasha Velour, and for OG Sasha fans who were able to fondly recall the iconic performance from Drag Race [you know, the one that quite possibly won her the entire season]!!

Photo courtesy of House of Velour for Media Coverage.

​This article covers my personal favorite moments from The Big Reveal: Live Show!, but there were many more reveals and laughs to experience for yourselves!! I would 100% recommend going to see Sasha in person– we could all use a little more joy in this world [especially now given the anti-gay climate that’s becoming more and more popular]. Sasha’s one-queen show is able to provide an escape where people can just enjoy themselves, feel empowered, and feel a spark of joy–queer or straight, seeing Sasha Velour’s live show is definitely worth it. 

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