Photo: Marcus Juliani
April is full of all kinds of holidays and celebrations: Easter, Passover, Patriot’s Day, and Earth Day. But here in Provincetown early spring brings a new holiday, or at least one that is newly legal: 420, an event that celebrates all things marijuana. And for the past five years drag performer Mackenzie has become the Queen of Green with her annual 420 shows. Mackenzie took a few minutes to talk to Provincetown Magazine about the legalization movement, the impact of marijuana in her own life, and what she has planned for this year’s intergalactic themed show.
Provincetown Magazine: You’ve become the grand dame of the high holiday of 420 in Provincetown. Tell us a bit how that all happened?
Mackenzie: Very unintentionally, that’s for sure! It really all happened thanks to my upbringing in the Seattle queer community. Even before I was able to be in the bars, or had a grasp on the 420 holiday I would venture to the city and be gobsmacked by the queens/creatures who would be standing outside of these queer spaces, dressed in ornate pieces and looking like visionary supermodels I’d only ever seen in the movies or my dreams. Upon further investigation, they were involved in a 420 drag show and the people flocked to these venues and pack these houses to see these absolutely unhinged drag shows. It was when I moved back to Ptown and the legalization movement happened that I saw an opportunity to create insanely wild performance opportunities for not only myself, but other queer performance artists in town. I would go back to Seattle years later to attend a number of these shows in the city. And they were my favorite. Ever! The fearlessness of these artists, in an inviting, safe space with cannabis as the “theme,” opened up my mind to such incredible possibilities. And I wanted to create that same safe place for my local queerdos to be a part of and give permission to try something they wouldn’t normally do as an artist.
PM: When do you start writing and planning the show?
M: Every show starts out as a little seed in my head that I tend to for months, if not years, before I even think about producing it. A lot of them never see the light of day. This year’s show, 420 Honey – Space Cakes was actually conceived a number of years ago but as Mackenzie’s Electric Opera. I dreamed of getting a bunch of my friends together and doing classical arias with a bass heavy/club influence with ornate, alien-like costumes. I scrapped it year after year, heartbroken to do so, but never knowing where or how it would fit. But after the growth and success of each year’s show, this being the fifth year for us, and the state of the world, I really wanted to leave Earth and do something bigger, more badass and unlike anything I’ve ever done before. So when an intergalactic space odyssey popped into my head while making last year’s show, I knew it was time to dust off the Electric Opera concept and finally bring it to life. Since then, I’ve been slowly tinkering away, writing every idea from my brain into a script and figuring out how to make all the pieces fit while highlighting each and every artist in their own special and unique way. And baby, we’ve done it!
PM: You’ve lived in Provincetown for quite some time now. What changes have you noticed in town since marijuana became legal in Massachusetts?
M: Can you believe it’s been 12 years? Holy smokes! The biggest change I’ve noticed since would be a surge in unique creativity (I don’t want to assume it’s linked, but I’d like to think so) of things I’ve not seen in Provincetown. The envelope being pushed and the uninhibited sense of creation is something I love to see. Not to mention, a very large group of queer people within our community who have dropped alcohol/drugs, present company included, and are able to enjoy a specialized lift without the pending day, or days, as it started getting for me, of recovery. I think they call it California sober. And I’m so here for it!
PM: What can audiences expect with this 420 show? How did this year’s theme of Space Cakes come to you?
M: Everything you ever knew or have seen at one of my 420 shows…forget it! We’re going so big this year. Think massive sci-fi production blockbuster, with a starving artist budget and the high-energy camp you know, love, and need! We’ve got star-crossed alien queens, sexy ASSteroids, non-binary robots, galactic alien lip-sync battles, inter-dimensional visuals, planetary destruction, explosions, and Trish!
The first number of years the show was focused on a revue structure, and as the project has grown, I dabbled in a light plot with characters, if you can call it that. Last year, I dove further into a script with developed characters, but I was still only scratching the surface. This year, I have written you a full-length, two-act (don’t worry, there is an intermission) intergalactic space opera. You pretty much get two shows in one, but that’s all I’m going to say without giving anything away. It’s a lot of bang for your buck! At the core of this, I just need to you come feel the abundance of queer joy that we are bringing you.
PM: While the show is certainly open to all regardless of whether or not they imbibe in cannabis, does it help to be high for this show?
M: This show is going to be a real trip even without cannabis, but like I always say, it can only help! Plus this year, we’re including a few goodies for the audience members that make the space even more interactive. All I ask is that you consume responsibly, because this is going to be insane and I don’t want you to miss anything!
PM: The show is a lot of work for you. How do you plan to celebrate 420 once the shows are over?
M: This show is a lot of work. But it’s the project I am most proud of, and I put my entire heart and soul into year after year. I never thought it would become the beast that it is, but I am so humbled and grateful for what it has become and that the town continues to enjoy it with us. It would be impossible to do any of this without this amazing community, our host venue the Crown & Anchor, and all of our superb local artists (16 of them), and the brilliance of my partner in artistic crime and local visual artist, Heat, who joined the production team in 2023 and has elevated the show each year with their over the top, 3D creations to help bring the story to life and immerse you in these worlds, and this year is no exception. Oh, and to answer your question, I’m going to New York City for a while, at least until summer season kicks in.
— SKD
420 Honey: Space Cakes is at the Crown & Anchor, 247 Commercial St., on Saturday, April 19 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, April 20 at 2 and 7 p.m. Tickets ($35/$45) are available at the box office and online at onlyatthecrown.com. For more information call 508.487.1430.
