^{The Bad Judies (l to r): Mercy Be, WorshipHer, Wesley, and Lyra Vega.}

The Bad Judies Hit Provincetown

by Steve Desroches

What The Wizard of Oz is about depends on how you look at it. It’s either the story of a young girl from Kansas lost in a mysterious land who tries to help new found friends or it’s the tale of a brat that causes chaos from her arrival in Munchkinland and kills two women over a pair of shoes. Either way you look at the film starring Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale, it’s clear it sent the young star on her way to being the gay icon of all time. So much so that calling someone “a friend of Dorothy” became a euphemism for saying that they’re gay. In addition, the term “Good Judy” became slang in the gay community for a loyal and trusted friend. But what if you side with the more sinister side of Dorothy? What if you, too, would liquidate anyone that dared tried to touch your ruby slippers? Well, then you just might be a Bad Judy.

In the years since the pandemic lifted The Bad Judies have taken New York City by storm as an all drag queen band bringing their musical acumen in high heels and presenting original arrangements to pop songs. The quartet took their name from their shared love of Miss Garland, giving her a rock-and-roll attitude. Their current logo is Dorothy as a cyborg. Playing venues around New York as well as weekly gigs at the Ice Palace on Fire Island for the past several summers, The Bad Judies are hitting the road making their Provincetown debut as a headliner in CabaretFest, a multiday event started in 2000 to celebrate the diverse world of cabaret performance. Featuring WorshipHer, Wesley, Lyra Vega, and Mercy Be, The Bad Judies bring some freshness and fun to the art of drag.

“I love drag,” says Mark Oleszko, who derived his drag name Lyra Vega from the constellation of a harp in Greek mythology. “It’s a show, an art form, where you are the director of all the elements.’

Costuming, wig design, make up, choreography, and of course the arrangements and performance using their respective instruments, The Bad Judies quickly gained a following in New York for those audiences looking for live musical performance rather than a traditional lip-synch. It made them stand out, especially once they convinced people that they were actually playing their instruments and singing live. This is no drag Milli Vanilli. All four have extensive musical backgrounds and are full-time performers in and out of drag, with WorshipHer on drums, Wesley on bass guitar, Mercy Be on saxophone and violin, and Lyra Vega on piano. 

New York City is an incredibly competitive environment for any entertainer. Aspiring actors and musicians are as ubiquitous in the city as yellow cabs and Duane Reade pharmacies. Their musical prowess made them stand out in drag and their drag made them pop in the world of music. Their success is a tremendous feat, especially since the popularity of RuPaul’s Drag Race has inspired quite literally thousands to pursue drag. And that’s led to fans from outside the metro area as The Bad Judies go on tour.

“We’re soon playing dates in New Jersey, New Hampshire, Connecticut, as we’re really trying to expand outside the city,” says Oleszko. “Once you leave New York you realize how novel we are. In New York people are very been-there, done-that. But elsewhere people don’t have access to drag and are really, really excited about it. We are very different than drag you see on TV and that doubly surprises people.”

Provincetown has long been on their radar, a seemingly perfect fit for the town. But how to get a booking? Provincetown’s performance scene can actually be tougher than New York when it comes to getting a gig. But last year Oleszko played piano, out of drag, as a piano accompanist for David Rhodes, the new director of CabaretFest, for his show Daddy Issues during New York Pride at the Manhattan performance venue Red Eye NY. After the show, Oleszko excused himself explaining he needed to get into drag for a late-night concert, which intrigued Rhodes. Once he heard about The Bad Judies and then saw them perform, he offered them a headlining spot at his inaugural run at the head of CabaretFest. 

“This is our debut, in every way,” says Oleszko. “None of us have ever been to Provincetown. Not one of us, if you can believe it. We couldn’t be more excited. Provincetown sounds like a perfect fit for The Bad Judies.”

The Bad Judies play at the Post Office Café and Cabaret, 303 Commercial St., Provincetown, as part of CabaretFest on Tuesday, June 9 at 8:30 p.m. Tickets ($40) are available at provincetowncabaretfest.org.