Review by Steve Desroches
At six-foot-three Tina Burner is hard to miss, but she nevertheless pulled off a surprise dramatic entrance from the back of the room as she made her way to the stage at the Pilgrim House in her Provincetown debut. And with her towering ginger wig, it’s safe to say she was much taller than her billed height as the highest locks brushed the lighting when she ascended the stairs, stage right and a parody of the theme to the classic TV show Wonder Woman introduces the show, with the refrain replaced with “Tina Burner.”
Just a little over a year after her appearance on season 13 of the pop-culture phenomenon that is RuPaul’s Drag Race, Burner is following her sisters in taking in all that television exposure can bring. And indeed many in the audience are there for the very reason she is a “RuGirl.” A longtime stand out of New York City’s competitive drag scene Burner hit the road last year in her first national tour titled Maybe This Time Live, a Cabaret cum Liza Minnelli inspired showcase as Burner introduced herself to the country, an idea born out of being on Drag Race. “While on the show, I had the honor of playing the EmShee in the Rusical, a character based on the Emcee from Cabaret,” said Burner when announcing her tour. “I placed in the bottom three for my performance but it was the first time where the viewers really rallied behind me. It reminded me how performing live is my passion and how I needed to get back to my roots because in the words of Sally Bowles, ‘Maybe this time, I’ll win.’”
It’s a unique challenge coming off of Drag Race, as most contestants come from the world of stage performance, like Burner. Clearly touring the country provides the opportunity to adapt and expand. But Provincetown is an entirely different animal in that it’s like going on a national tour without leaving, as audiences are wildly different from night to night. So as she makes her inaugural run in Provincetown with her brand-new show Mix Queen: A Relationship Mixtape she’s chomping at the bit to take on a town that has every bit the starmaking ability of Drag Race on its own.
After a Tiger King lip-synch comedic medley-monologue Burner lets it rip with all-live singing mashups with the assistance of her musical director Blake Allen, performing medleys that tap into various elements of Burner’s life, from dating to her new-found fame to, of course, RuPaul’s Drag Race, letting the tea slip here and there for the diehard fans. Clearly a smart cookie, and a smart aleck, it will be pleasure to watch Burner grow even larger on the Provincetown drag scene.
Tina Burner performs Mix Queen: A Relationship Mixtape at the Pilgrim House, 336 Commercial St., on selected date now through June 29 at 9 p.m. and returns for selected dates August 8 through September 8 at 6 p.m. Tickets ($35/$45) are available at the box office and online at pilgrimhouseptown.com. For more information call 508.487.6424.
