International celebrity housewife Kasha Davis is a shopper, a lover of laughter and an old school humanitarian. When Kasha took time out to chat with me last week she was preparing to make her UK debut at The Royal Vauxhall Tavern with There’s Always Time For a Cocktail. Like many drag artists, Kasha’s success was far from meticulously planned: “I never imagined I would be doing drag! I studied theatre and dreamed of being on stage but chose the ‘practical life’ for nearly 20 years.” she revealed. “My passion has always been to help people and as a young child I didn’t have many, or any for that matter, honest representations of a homosexual lifestyle, that I was attracted to.”
Undoubtedly best known for appearing on season seven of RuPaul’s Drag Race, Kasha told me how thankful she is for the experience.
“Today we have so much more support in the media and I’m proud to have the platform of RuPaul’s Drag Race to launch my story to bigger heights.” Delving into the idea behind There’s Always Time For a Cocktail she said: “I tell my stories with singing, humour and an occasional two-step, taking you up until today, with hopes that the audience can relate through the magic of lights, makeup and live theatre.”
As well as this being Kasha’s first time performing in the UK, it will also be the first time the Tavern has had a Drag Race artist taking to her famous stage. Of course, this pleases Kasha immensely, as she explained: “I often say that in a past life I was a court Jester who always dreamed of being THE QUEEN! What bigger dream come true than to bring my story to the historic RVT! PINCH ME and kick me too for missing the filming of the Ab Fab movie, where a thousand plus queens got to film a scene at the RVT with Patsy and Eddie!”
In-keeping with the theme of Kasha’s show, I finished up our chat by asking who she’d invite to her own personal cocktail soirée: “First on the list would be Dame Edna Everage, because once meeting her I have no doubt she’d find that my closet would be the perfect home for her collection of jewels and frocks upon official retirement. This party would seal the deal. RuPaul and Michelle Visage would undoubtedly regretfully decline due to their busy schedule filming season 9 of Drag Race.
“Latrice Royale and Shangela would be invited too and paid accordingly. We’d cackle at the antics of Shangie and dine to the soulful jazz sounds of Latrice singing from her album, Here’s To Life.
“Pearl would be resting in the other room along with Trixie Mattel’s make up brushes. Darienne Lake, Pandora Boxx, Ginger Minj, Tempest Dujour, Aggy Dune, Kennedy Davenport, Miss Richfield 1981, Robbie Turner, Delta Work and of course Chad Michaels and I would be dressed to the nines, but otherwise delighted and joyfully entertained by the contortions of body, as well as the stories told by Katya and Morgan McMichaels. Katya would have to leave early with one or several of the cooks and/or servers and Morgan would be way too busy to stay, because she’d have to get to West 5 ‘cause she’s a working woman.
“Everyone would be given an autographed copy of my Cabaret album It Take a Lot of Balls to Be a Lady, available on iTunes May 8th (plug, plug).
“Prior to leaving we’d tweet Derrick Berry links to Miss Fame’s eyebrow covering tutorials and tip Mimi Imfirst as she brings the cars around.
“Later that night we’d watch Alyssa Edwards tongue- pop her way to success on YouTube and then drift off to sleep at the endless display of horrific Facebook Live makeup application videos of countless queens across the world.”
• There’s Always Time For a Cocktail is at The Royal Vauxhall Tavern on 19/20th May. Tickets: www.vauxhalltavern.com
