Union Town Provisions hosts county's first drag queen brunch

LORAIN — Union Town Provisions hosted the county's first drag show brunch Sunday afternoon, with performances by five Northeast Ohio queens in front of a packed house. This is the third time Union Town has hosted a drag show, and co-owner Shawn Grieves said he never expected the volume. His husband and fellow owner, Tim Scholl, said when the pair was in New York City, Grieves brought gospel choirs from Harlem and drag queens into the Viceroy where he worked. The idea for a drag brunch in Lorain came to life after Grieves watched Cher in "Burlesque," they explained. Grieves said he asked "why don't we have this," and looked to bring that vibe to Lorain — drag brunch was born. Drag shows aren't new to the Cleveland area, but are relatively so to the far west side. Lorain was home to a gay bar on Broadway, Tim's Place, but it's long closed. Grieves said he called around and found Kaydence Jayne, and "Legend, Icon, Star" Samantha Echo. From there, Kardi Redd Diamond, Calypso Riley and Xendelle were added to the bill. "This is food, this is fashion," Grieves said. He said they had three men come in off the street to watch the show. Sunday's show was family friendly, with patrons of all ages enjoying the queens' performances. From Britney Spears to Joan Jett, each performer danced around the dining room. Many lipsynched, Kaydence Jayne sang her own tracks, and Kardi Redd Diamond brought her skills as a competitive cheerleader by doing cartwheels and splits around packed and cheering tables. Scholl said there are plans in the works to make the drag brunch a monthly event. "They feel like this is a great venue for them and given that they probably have to normally perform at 1 a.m., I think I would like this too," he said. Drag isn't the performers' only jobs — forcing them to juggle booking shows and networking while working in offices, hospitals or retail. Kaydence Jayne, of Avon Lake, started performing in drag about five years ago, after going as Mariah Carey one Halloween and realizing how great she looked. Prior to that, Kaydnece Jayne's always been a male singer, releasing a solo album and was the lead in a male hip-hop group. "A lot of the times we'll get comments like 'you aren't women, you're just fat men in wigs' and we're like, we're not women, we're entertainers," she said. "We're here to give you a show, paint our face like a picture and just entertain the audience. It's all based around music too, like it's a rock show." Entertainment is the "true core" of their performances, she explained — no matter someone's gender, race or sexual orientation. And while some of the dance numbers or outfits can be racy, it's not an inherently sexual thing, she said. "Drag is like we're out there on the floor with the people taking their tips so it's about entertaining them and connecting with the audience. Samantha Echo added, "We also give a safe space to kids." Before their performance that afternoon, Samantha Echo and Kaydence Jayne talked to a transgender child, giving them some encouragement. Samantha Echo said the performance — as the only drag show in the county — is expanding horizons on the far west side. For Kaydence Jayne, bringing drag this close to home is something special. It's also special for Grieves, who sat down in the dining room after talking with patrons and taking their picture with the queens. Sitting down in the dining room after talking with patrons and taking their pictures with the queens. It was "absolutely crazy" to think about the mothers and fathers and children that had come for the brunch, he said. "This is what we do, we bring people together," he said. To find out when the next drag show at Union Town Provisions is, follow its Facebook page. Samantha Echo and Kaydence Jayne are the Delusional Divas of Drag, performing a musical drag and comedy show at Hilarities in Cleveland. Kardi Redd Diamond performs at and hosts The Dollhaus Saturday Night Drag Review at The Auricle. Calypso Riley and Xendelle perform at Drag Underground at Buzzbin Art and Music Shop in Canton. Contact Carissa Woytach at 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com. Follow her on Twitter @CWoytach.