RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Winner and UWM Alumni Trixie Mattel hosted “A Very Trixie Halloween” drag show at Wisconsin’s oldest LGBTQ+ bar, This is It!, on Thursday night.
With a stellar line-up of local drag performers, a boatload of Real Chili shoutouts and an eccentric costume contest, Mattel provided the rowdy audience with a memorable night of “Trix” and treats.
After canceling the event last year due to an emergency surgery, the This is It co-owner shared that she was excited to be back in an introductory speech.
“It is very special for me to be here,” said Mattel. “If anyone remembers, last year my appendix exploded.”
16-year-old Nemo from Discovery Plus’ Generation Drag series and “The Legs Of Milwaukee” Dita Von were among the performers of the evening, as well as Baylee I.J. Diamond, Setareh Ouellet-Sodi and Janelle Dumott.
The artists commanded the drunken audience with phenomenal costumes, including a clown, a Día de Los Muertos-inspired skeleton and Carrie. However, the peak of the night may have been Dita Von lip-syncing to Aqua’s “Barbie Girl” in a Furby outfit.
“Thank you for doing the national anthem,” Mattel said as a follow-up to Von’s performance.
Following the buzz of Netflix’s DAHMER, This is It! issued a statement on social media regarding the policy of inappropriate costumes in the bar, including the Milwaukee serial killer.
“Thank you for not dressing up as Jeffery Dahmer,” Mattel said. “Apparently we have to ask people not to do that.”
To lighten the mood, Mattel brought a round of fireball shots for the front of the crowd before taking the stage for her own Lip-Sync LaLaPaRuza Smackdown, as said in the words of Mother RuPaul.
Instead of “Monster” by Lady Gaga or a doo-wop version of Olivia Rodrigo’s “Driver’s License” like the other queens, Mattel chose to perform a spoken word piece by Tiffany “New York” Pollard from Celebrity Big Brother.
“Somebody lied to her several times and told her that she was fly, hot, sexy, and beautiful and she’s nothing like that,” the voice of Pollard boomed over the speaker system. “She’s nothing of the sort.”
After another round of performances, the night concluded with the audience costume contest. Poison Ivy, a witch doctor and an angler fish were the top 3, with the angler fish taking the win.
Following the show, everyone, including Mattel, took the dance floor. Closing out with Halloween classics like “The Time Warp” from The Rocky Horror Picture Show and a mash-up of Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s “WAP” with “The Monster Mash,” sure made for a Spook-tacular night.