Marti Cummings Twirls Around the World
by Steve Desroches
As a drag performer Marti Cummings has had all kinds of gigs, but none quite like they did in early December of 2024. First, they had to board a ship in Ushuaia, Argentina, the southernmost city in the world, cross the Beagle Channel, and then sail the 680 miles of open ocean to Antarctica. Once there, a sturdy Zodiac picked Cummings up, who by this time was in full drag, and transported them to an ice shelf on the southern continent. Everything from their high heels to the wig had to be approved or disinfected so as not to contaminate the pristine environment of the frozen continent. And there was to be no amplified music so as not to disturb the wildlife. With a small human audience, and three penguins nearby, Cummings began to twirl and sing, becoming the first drag queen to perform on all seven continents, a feat certified by Guinness World Records. To celebrate, Cummings completed a polar plunge, jumping into the freezing waters of the Southern Ocean in full drag in what has become a rite of passage on a first visit to Antarctica.
“It was very, very quick because it was so cold,” says Cummings. “They tie this rope to you and pull you out right away. But as I was coming out, my gown suction-cupped to my body. When you’re in the water you’re just numb. It’s when you get out and the air hits you that you realize just how cold it is.”
While a popular and dynamic fixture in New York City’s drag scene Cummings has been able to see so much of the world after they were hired by VACAYA, an LGBTQ travel company, as a performer and small ship cruise director. VACAYA offers trips, cruises, and other resort stays in places not traditionally visited by other LGBTQ travel companies, such as Rwanda, the Seychelles, Madagascar, Easter Island, Saudi Arabia, and of course, Antarctica. Come 2027, VACAYA will offer a Mediterranean cruise during a total eclipse, and in 2028, a cruise on an ice cutter to the North Pole, which Cummings will be on, completing a pole-to-pole journey in life. VACAYA attracts the LGBTQ traveler seeking adventure off the beaten lavender path, but in the company of fellow LGBTQ adventurers. Plus, Cummings adds, the company reaches out to local LGBTQ communities and organizations, inviting them to events and shows as well as making financial contributions, a lifeline for those who live in particularly conservative and homophobic parts of the world.
Seeing the world this way has revealed a lot that doesn’t make the news and counteracts rigid stereotypes that fail to show how incredibly nuanced our world and its people are. “Petra was the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen,” says Cummings of the ancient Jordanian city. “The people of Jordan were so welcoming and kind.”
Travel and true curiosity bring people closer together. And in particular, LGBTQ people around the world showing up in every nook and cranny of the Earth is empowering, making travel a political act. And as a non-binary drag queen Cummings is grateful to have the opportunity to support the LGBTQ community worldwide. One of Cummings’ favorite places to perform is the gay bar B-Bob’s Downtown in Mobile, Alabama, a place that often elicits a big reaction from friends in New York City.
“People often ask me why I would even go to Alabama,” says Cummings. “Why wouldn’t you? There are queer people in every spot in the world. Just because a place might not be accepting of queer people doesn’t mean we leave the queer people there behind. There are people who drive several hours just to get to B-Bob’s to be in a place where they can be authentically themselves. We have to support queer people no matter where they live in the world. People are not their governments. I will always, always, always go anywhere queer are. I’m always going to show up.”
One place that Cummings will always, always, always go is Provincetown, where they’ll be performing their new show Marti with an I: Around the World in 20 Years at the Gifford House, full of tales from their adventures traveling the globe. A regular in Provincetown, Cummings will return Halloween weekend with Stranger Queens and again for Holly Folly the first weekend in December with a new Christmas show. While Cummings has lived a life described in the 1977 song “I’ve Never Been to Me” by Charlene, but without all the regret, it’s doesn’t matter if its Sydney, Marrakesh, or Rio de Janeiro, no place in the world holds a candle to Provincetown.
“I love Ptown,” says Cummings. “People always ask me what my favorite place I’ve ever been is. I’ve been to 40 countries and people expect me to say some far-flung-off place, but I always say Ptown. It has my favorite sunrises and my favorite sunsets.
I get off the ferry and I feel like I’m home.”
Marti Cummings presents Marti with an I: Around the World In 20 Years at the Gifford House, 9 Carver St., Thursday and Friday, September 3 and 4 at 7:15 p.m. Tickets ($30/$40) are available at the box office and online at giffordsprovincetown.com. For more information call 508.487.0688.
