Ginger Minj Makes Provincetown Debut
by Steve Desroches
Ginger Minj is proof that you can plan for success, but it still comes as a surprise when it arrives. Hailing from Orlando, Florida, the stand-out queen from season seven of RuPaul’s Drag Race and the ongoing season six of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars, Ginger has distinguished herself in every area of competition as well as on the stage wherever she performs live. Getting cast on the show in 2015 Ginger, also known as Joshua Eads, thought he’d be “gaymous,” that is, well-known in LGBTQ+ bars and cabarets in the United States. But of course the show has a global reach with fans downloading it in various ways from as far away as Slovenia, Vietnam, and South Africa. Now wherever Eads goes, in and out of drag, Ginger is recognized. It has him shaking his head in disbelief and laughing in contentment with a bit of glee.
As a drag queen Ginger is stellar in comedy, performance, and all around show-queen-ship, getting laughs for his outrageously theatrical ways. But with a name like Ginger Minj he’s a particular hit across the pond as that nom du drag is British slang for what we’d say in the United States is a “red beaver.”
“I’m a big hit in the UK, for sure,” says Eads. “Ginger is really just an extension of me, she’s my voice. When I was younger I was told to stay quiet and not embarrass anyone, so I was always afraid to speak my mind, but Ginger does that for me. Unlike me, though, I’m pretty sure she’s aging backwards!”
Like a lot of drag performers, developing a character became a way of both overcoming the homophobia that can silence LGBTQ+ youth by driving them to the point of near invisibility, and finding a unique way to harness artistic talents where there isn’t a clear path. Ginger was initially born out of a love for theater, which abounds in the tourist-based economy of Central Florida. But as Eads, he didn’t quite fit in as he also had a love for drag performance, which in Orlando are two “very different worlds” says Eads. So he made his own scene starting a Broadway-themed brunch that mixed theater and drag. And the rest is “herstory,” he says.
Ginger first made a splash in the drag pageant circuit, a specific type of drag culture in presentation and performance as it’s based in competition. One of the effects of RuPaul’s Drag Race and the subsequent international incarnations with franchises in the Netherlands, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Thailand, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Italy is that it’s given a platform for the numerous types of drag that exists in the world and within the United States. Prior to the show’s debut in 2009 there was no way to see regional forms of drag other than to travel, often having queens from various parts of the country feeling like a stranger in a strange land among other drag performers. What worked in San Francisco didn’t in Atlanta and what got the crowd hopping in Chicago left them flat in Houston. But with Drag Race queens can become students of various styles and then on the subsequent tours that often come their way, they can become universally beloved giving them more opportunities than ever. At almost 100 years old, the Provincetown drag tradition is heavily based in theater, making Ginger a perfect fit.
“Before Drag Race the only type of drag I really knew was from the southern pageant circle,” says Eads. “Since I’ve been able to travel, I’ve gotten to see every type of entertainment that falls under the drag umbrella and it’s so exciting! Drag should be fun and as long as you’re not hurting anyone, I’m here for it!”
Eads still can’t quite believe all that’s come his way since leaving small Leesburg, Florida, for Orlando and then the world. He’s been featured in the pageant comedy Dumplin’ alongside Jennifer Aniston, the Netflix series AJ and the Queen, portrayed drag icon Dr. Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Show at the famed Woodlawn Theatre in San Antonio, Texas, released the album Gummy Bear in June, and is filming a new TV show in Los Angeles that he can’t talk about yet, all the while being still very much in the game for winning this season of All Stars. And then there’s coming to Provincetown to make his debut, something that’s been a longtime goal of his. He’s found personal happiness, too. All of this joy and satisfaction helps with what can be a grueling schedule as well as keeping him on his toes, always evolving, always prepared. It’s been a wild ride since he first shantayed onto the mainstage at RuPaul’s Drag Race and he’s ready for more.
“Well, I’m almost 10 years older than my original season,” says Eads. “I’m married to my husband, CJ, I’ve done TV, movies, and world tours, I quit drinking, and I’m just a lot more aware of who I really am. I had to shake all of those insecurities and just flaunt the fun I feel inside.”
Ginger Minj performs at the Art House, 214 Commercial St., Provincetown, Wednesday through Saturday at 9 p.m. starting August 11 through September 11. Tickets ($40/$45/$75) are available at the box office and online at ptownarthouse.com. For more information call 508.487.9222.
