Through rain, shine or snow, the Queer Cabaret must go on

On Saturday, performers and audience members alike gathered ‘round for the Queer Cabaret, settling into the intimate showroom of Speakeasy Carrboro, purple lights dancing around the room and a layer of light ice covering the window panes. 

The event rolls around every second Saturday of the month and is always hosted by Victor Dronzek — also known as AmanDuh Barron. She is a beloved drag queen with a clever name who is an integral part of the show. 

“I was like ‘something super simple’ — a man, duh — and then my last name is Barron, which means strength and resilience, I believe in German, but it's also a whole play on words," Dronzek said, when explaining the origins of his drag name. "So, it's AmanDuh Barron, but as in barren, as in she can't have kids." 

The night began with a performance by local band Coyote vs. Acme, front manned by Marty Smith, who described his genre to the crowd as queer country cabaret. 

“I do queer-themed country music, so I thought this [event] might be a good fit,” Smith said. “I thought we'd give it a try and see if it worked.”

Despite the cold weather outside, the people inside Speakeasy created a warm and welcoming environment. Throughout the night, the number of people fluctuated between a small group and a full room, but the energy remained the same. 

The sound of pool sticks could be heard from the next room and people listened to the music.

Nona Poulton is the owner of Speakeasy, and she said the monthly cabaret started out as "Big Gay Wednesdays" before she and her friend Alex Stalling teamed up with Russell Davis, the owner of event coordinator group Lavender Social Collective, and AmanDuh, who both helped expand the event. Specifically, Davis brought bands to the speakeasy scene and AmanDuh brought her own performances. 

After Coyote vs. Acme left the stage, there was a brief intermission followed by AmanDuh’s initial introduction. She got the crowd ready and engaged by asking newcomers, those new to drag and regulars to cheer. AmanDuh then gave a lip-syncing performance of Adele while moving through the crowd.

Poulton praised AmanDuh for her ability to uplift a room, mentioning specifically the cabaret that occured after the election results were announced. 

“I think the song choices that she [AmanDuh] picked for her numbers were on point and that helped create the moment where people were — I mean, people were hugging and swaying to the music,” Poulton said. 

After this, AmanDuh introduced one of her co-hosts, Aris Valentine,with a heartfelt speech about their support for one another filled with humor and sincerity. 

“She is my good Judy, she is my sister, she is the warm bitch that puts up with me more than anybody on this planet,” AmanDuh said to the audience. “Welcoming back to the stage, you know her, you love her: Aris Valentine!” 

Valentine gave the crowd a performance of "Defying Gravity" from the new movie musical "Wicked" in which she got on a table and lip-synched. Everyone looked up at her, enthralled. 

Another drag queen took the stage, Aris’s drag daughter, Wynter C. Valentine, who gave a performance in which she danced and lip-synched along to Sabrina Carpenter’s “Feather.” She pirouetted like a graceful ballerina, yet maintained the energy of the crowd and got them involved, encouraging them to clap with her. 

The monthly Queer Cabaret at Speakeasy has become a space where people can come together under any circumstances. All the performers came out despite the weather and the winter storm, and so did the people there to support them. 

“[There's] not just the opportunity to be together, but also [have] the opportunity to celebrate gender and sexual identity differences and feel supported in that and truly celebrated, not just seen,” Poulton said.

@dthlifestyle | lifestyle@dailytarheel.com