Eric Tadsen
Spikey Van Dykey: “When I’m on stage, it feels like home.”
Backstage at FIVE Nightclub, Anthony Savage is getting into character. Perched on a stool in front of a dressing room mirror, he digs in a makeup case the size of a suitcase, searching for the right shade of foundation, highlighter and eyeliner. Over the course of an hour, Savage transforms from a fresh-faced femme into a dapper hunk, penciling in dramatic brows and a perfectly edged goatee, accented with deep-red glitter. “Depending on what I’m doing, the full transformation can take three to four hours,” he says.
Savage is a drag king, one of several performing in Royal Tease, a showcase from the Wisconsin Burlesque Association. A former burlesque performer and go-go dancer at The Inferno, the now-closed hub of so-called “alternative arts” in Madison, Savage started doing drag about four years ago as a personal challenge. “I took it and ran,” he says. “It was too fun to give up.”
Most people are familiar with drag queens: male-identifying people, usually gay, who perform as women for entertainment. Queens are ubiquitous at LGBTQ pride festivals, and the wildly popular reality TV show RuPaul’s Drag Race has introduced the community to the general public and even launched some performers to superstardom. In comparison, drag kings remain a lesser-known corollary, but their art form is no less fun and fascinating. Many are queer women, but people of any gender can be kings. Savage, who identifies as pansexual and genderqueer, says the fluidity of the drag king community is liberating — and empowering.
“Being a drag king is definitely the outlet I was seeking to express myself, and to get over imposter syndrome in the LGBTQ community,” says Savage, a natural introvert who prefers painting and crafting to going out. “He’s a helpful persona.”
Women have been performing as male impersonators for hundreds of years — in theater and opera there’s a tradition of “breeches roles” dating back to the 1700s. In the 19th century, popular singers like Vesta Tilley and Annie Hindle performed as men in minstrel shows and music halls, often mocking male vanity and womanizing. Stormé DeLarverie, who is widely credited as the first to fight back against police in the Stonewall uprising and launching the modern-day LGBTQ rights movement, performed as a male impersonator during the 1950s and ’60s with the Jewel Box Review.
In crafting his persona, Savage researched the history of drag kings as well as the proper techniques for a convincing transformation, including how to safely bind the chest with athletic tape. “It can be dangerous,” Savage says. “You can crack a rib.”
As Savage gets ready for the show, other performers start trickling into the dressing room. Drag queen Cynthia Mooseknuckle is getting ready with her friends at FIVE before traveling to Milwaukee for a show. Stripper Moxie Rose, who’s performing in the showcase, is a former Madisonian who now lives in the Quad Cities, home of an up-and-coming burlesque scene that she describes as competitive and “cutthroat.”
Spikey Van Dykey, the night’s headliner, enters with a big smile, a pink pompadour and a hug for everyone in the room. A native of Florida, Van Dykey launched his career 16 years ago in Birmingham, Alabama, and has become one of the most famous drag kings in the country.
“When I’m on stage, it feels like home,” says Van Dykey, who was bullied growing up and whose stage name is a reclamation of a childhood insult. “When I started performing I felt loved, appreciated and respected. And it’s so rewarding to be out there inspiring other people.”
While drag queens typically perform solo, drag kings are often more collaborative and open to performing in groups. Van Dykey put together a troupe called the Drag King Project as a way to promote the art form and increase visibility. Sometimes it’s a struggle — many venues still aren’t familiar with drag kings. “Some clubs say no, but most say yes,” Van Dykey says.
While Savage sees his performance art as a political statement, Van Dykey prefers to use his role as a drag king to distract people from politics. “I use my performance as a place to keep people happy,” he says. “People don’t have to think about [politics] in our safe space.”
Drag king essentials: eyeliner, foundation, binding tape, attitude
Local drag king troupes: MadKings (Madison), Miltown Kings (Milwaukee)
Wisconsin Burlesque Association (WiBA): nonprofit founded in 2015 by performer Mercury Stardust
Next WiBA show: Streetlight Cabaret at The Rigby, Sept. 7
