Miss Uchawi Conjures Magical Fun at the Art House

by Steve Desroches

It was love at first illusion for Victor Le’Yon. At around the age of ten Le’Yon’s father took him to see a magic act in Branson, Missouri, a tourist town in the Ozark Mountains with a particularly conservative bend. That being said, the magician on stage had a certain je ne sais queer about him that resonated with Le’Yon, though at the time it just reverberated that there was some sort of kinship. For the rest of the audience the Liberace effect was in full mode as they ignored the obvious and just thought all the flash and flamboyance was part of the show. Sitting in the front row with his father, Le’Yon was initially a little frightened by the show and even more so when his beloved dad was pulled up on stage to help tie the ropes as part of an escape act. But when suddenly the magician vanished and then appeared in the back of the theater in a red Ferrari, little Le’Yon was hooked.

“Ever since then I’ve loved magic, sparkles, the stage, and cars,” says Le’Yon. “And ropes, if we’re being honest. It all started then.”

That’s when the seed that bloomed into Miss Uchawi: Queen of Magic was born. Now Le’Yon travels the world blending the arts of drag and magic with sleight of hand and the shimmer of a sequin, landing in Provincetown for his town debut with a summer run at the Art House. 

From the influential childhood moment Le’Yon had magic on the mind, even when he took a side road exploring drag adopting at first the drag name Kiki Uchawi, with the surname coming from the Swahili for magic. Miss Uchawi is the fully realized persona for all of Le’Yon’s talents, intellect, dreams, and ambitions. And the show is nothing but fabulous fun and top-notch magical illusions, a real treat and welcome addition to Provincetown’s performance scene.

Le’Yon describes magic as ritual as the art form dates back to ancient Egypt. While entertaining, magic is also deeply rooted in community and connection for Le’Yon, especially as a drag performer and connecting magic to the LGBTQ experience. It also proved to be healing for Le’Yon. Not long after that night in Branson, his father fell into a coma due to an undetected tumor and died not long after. His very conservative religious mother then became physically and emotionally abusive and Le’Yon, angry and confused, became rebellious. He shut down emotionally and refused to speak to any of the therapists assigned to him, rather the psychologists would ask him to do card tricks he was teaching himself as a way to open him up to sharing his feelings. His mother would not let him follow any of his interests as if he was going to pursue any type of performance it “would be for the Lord” otherwise it was sinful. Being sent to a specialty school to help him with his mental health and well-being proved positive as there he was allowed to explore magic and even dip his toe into the first concepts of drag. But when he went home and came out to his mother she kicked him out of the house. He was 17. And shortly thereafter he learned that his parents were actually his aunt and uncle as he and his twin sister were removed from their custody as babies.

Magic gave Le’Yon strength. Completely self-taught he began performing at birthday parties and special events. However, in his early twenties he found love and support in the LGBTQ community in Kansas City. Until then he performed in a different kind of drag, wearing a tuxedo, spit polished patent leather shoes, and a pompadour. But things changed in Kansas City. “You know the gays, they all said ‘well if you’re going to do magic do it in drag’,” says Le’Yon. And so he did. 

“Drag was the first place I felt comfortable,” says Le’Yon. “I wasn’t the strangest person in the room anymore.”

Fairly quickly, he had mentors to teach him about show business and developing a work ethic, with RuPaul’s Drag Race star Kennedy Davenport as a drag mother and the late drag queen magician Cashetta, a longtime Provincetown performer, as a dear friend. And it was her advice that Le’Yon took when she told him that she wished she had explored drag on its own first and then incorporated magic, learning the tricks of each trade separately. And Le’Yon did becoming the toast of Kansas City drag scene, without magic. But about four years ago, Le’Yon married the two, and he had no choice but to be who he wanted to be, results be damned, and that was Miss Uchawi: Queen of Magic adding, “If I had to pick my poison that’s the poison I was going to pick.”

Le’Yon left Kansas City for Las Vegas, wanting to start over. Miss Uchawi became a hit in Vegas and that attention and success led to an invitation to perform at the Palm Cabaret in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, which led to bookings on gay cruises, which has led to the Art House in Provincetown, a place she’s long wanted to not only play, but make an impact. With more than a few tricks up her sleeve she plans on putting a spell on the Cape tip.

“I really have the goal of building something in Provincetown, something special” says Le’Yon. “I’m in it for the long game.”

Miss Uchawi: Queen of Magic performs at the Art House, 214 Commercial St., Provincetown, Sunday through Wednesday, at 5 p.m. now through August 12. Tickets ($35/$45) are available at the box office and online at rainboweg.com.