“Are you asking about the kinkiest thing we’ve done?” came the usual bold response from Nymphia Wind.
That wasn’t the exact question I posed to her and sister international drag superstar Plastique Tiara when we discussed the duo’s upcoming performance at Mid-Atlantic Leather’s main event party, Kinetic Presents Kink: Double Trouble. But since Nymphia said it, please tell her.
“Well, when I’m in London, I explore,” Nymphia sheepishly says of her time in London’s nightlife scene as a baby queen, years before becoming the season 16 winner. rupaul’s drag race.
“I think the kinkiest thing we’ve ever done was this show in Washington, D.C.,” joked Plastique, who is popular all over the world and is also a social media star. Despite being across many time zones and thousands of miles apart on the Zoom call, the two had fun like a well-oiled team.
“I’m in Vietnam. It’s 2:12 a.m.,” Plastique tells me, looking fresh and moisturized from the drugs. “I’m here to pick up costumes and footage for the tour.” That’s “The Serpents Tour,” an epic live experience that brings together these friends, two of the industry’s most recognized and accomplished Asian drag queens, in a piece inspired by the Chinese legends of the White and Green Snakes.
“I suggested we do a tour together,” Plastik said. “The first time we texted together, I think it was the fifth time we texted, and we both said, ‘The Legend of the White and the Green Snake,’ at the exact same time we were proposing a tour. That was an insane moment for us.”
While certainly in sync, the two are still doing very different types of drag, Nymphia explained, also noting how they complement each other. “For some reason, when we were talking about the legend of the White Snake, our character naturally fell into white plastic, and then I fell into green,” she said.
“I’m crazier and run around more, which fits the Green Snake character better. [who’s] More youthful, she’s chaotic, she’s just out there doing crazy things, she’s careless, she’s fierce. In my eyes, Plastique is just elegant and I think she’s like Park and Bark. She’s so beautiful that she doesn’t really need to do much. A lot of work has already been done by her perfection, and it seems that is all that is needed. ”
This production offers more than elegance and drag excellence. The 15-city Serpents tour across the U.S. spotlights local AAPI and LGBTQIA talent as well as drag artists.
“When we’re casting Opening Day pitchers, we don’t want them to just be Opening Day pitchers,” Plastique said. “It’s not just about opening the show for us, it’s about creating a community and having a platform for everyone to stand on together. We’ve got some little sections where that’s integrated, so come and take a look.”
As it happens, fans in the D.C. area can’t come see a full-fledged Serpents tour. The closest scheduled stop is Philadelphia. But DMV fans can get a taste of Plastique and Nymphia’s performance at KINK Double Trouble. KINK Double Trouble will also feature DJ sets from club favorites Nina Flowers, Alex Acosta, The Carry Nation and Rose.
“We’re going to be Brittany and Rihanna on that stage,” Plastique joked, teasing the leather and kinks they might bring to the MAL stage. “I think it’s all about expression,” Nymphia said. “Drag, like leather, is just a form, a costume, an armor that you put out into the world. For me, it’s just self-expression.”
Kinetic Presents KINK Double Trouble: Official MAL Main Event with Plastique Tiara and Nymphia Wind on Saturday, Jan. 17, at Bertha, 1235 W St. NE. Tickets range from $56 to $85. visit kineticpresents.com.
The Serpents Tour It opens on January 25th at New York City’s Irving Plaza and continues to Philadelphia. (1/26), Boston (1/27), Chicago (1/30), St. Louis (2/1), Atlanta (2/2), Orlando (2/3), Dallas (2/5), Los Angeles (2/11), San Francisco (2/12), Seattle (2/15), Portland (2/16), and several other US cities in between. visit nymphiaplastiquelive.com.
Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
