Catfights and Lovefests: Welcome to TV’s “Shade: Queens of NYC”

This docu-drag series Shade: Queens of NYC recently premiered on FusionTV, and this 12-part series is taking audiences beyond all the glam, glitz and lip syncing to reveal the lives inside New York City’s bustling drag community.

Shot in a vérité follow documentary format, Shade features fierce NYC queens including Brita Filter, Chelsea Piers, Holly Box-Springs, Jada Valenciaga, Jasmine Rice LaBeija, Marti Gould Cummings, “Showbiz Spitfire” Paige Turner, and Tina Burner. The first episode alone featured Marti preparing for a drag show, a protest and a meeting with Hell’s Kitchen Democrats; Chelsea and Brita Filter shopping at Spandex World, and Tina giving a pep talk before her show that includes the admonition, “If you’re not exhausted, you’re not doing drag.” Shade reveals a side of drag life never before seen on television, examining unspoken stigmas, taboos and personal sacrifices that drag performers often face on their journeys to celebrity. Situations like a heartfelt confrontation between Paige and her estranged drag daughter Chelsea and other intimate conversations address the business, politics and hardships of drag — offering a dynamic, poignant and fascinating look at some of the city’s most popular performers. fusion.net