Crystal Beth is a drag artist and circus performer extraordinaire who’s been shaking up East London’s drag and party scene with her Mariah & Friendz night.
This week Jason Reid talked to the man behind Crystal, Colin Munro…
Hey Colin, tell us a bit about how Crystal Beth came to be?
Crystal was born three years ago when I started producing shows in London. I’m originally from Montreal, Canada and I used to organise and perform in burlesque shows there. When I moved to London I got involved in circus and aerial performance and wanted a place to perform so drag was an outlet for that. It was partly to get noticed but also that’s where my interest led me. Eventually Crystal just took over. And now she doesn’t necessarily worry about the circus too much as it’s hard to find venues with the means to perform it at.
Did the drag persona develop organically or was it something you felt like you needed to do to get a foot in the door?
I don’t think I had to, but when I started out I was working with amazing queens like Tete Bang and Maxi Moore, they were huge inspirations to me, and it made me realise how much more I could play with gender and push boundaries in my performance. Of course commercially it made more sense. If I hadn’t done that I wouldn’t be working the way I am now.
Your drag party Mariah and Friendz has become quite a hit. What’s it all about?
Mariah has been going for three years and it’s my little baby. It’s a showcase, a queer performance night, a party and a political protest. We try to create a really joyous, crazy event that also has a lot of heart and meaning. It’s very loosely inspired by the great Mariah Carey. She’s our muse and inspiration, bringing in touches of delusion, bad fashion and lip-sync malfunctions.
Are you a little bit of a Mariah fan?
[laughs] Yes, I’m a huge fan! I love her complete self-confidence and self-assuredness even when she has no right to it. She has this amazing attitude, and she’s totally in on the joke, too. Mariah brings me so much joy… and great content.
What do you think of drag in 2017, especially in London?
It’s such an exciting time! The rise of the bio-queen is exciting to watch and people are getting more woke about the importance of diversity in their shows, which is something we’ve always tried hard to do at Mariah & Friendz. At the same time there’s lots of shows and artists that are still getting it wrong, but because there’s such increased awareness audiences are now demanding more. That’s exciting as both a producer and a performer.
What would you like to see change?
People (especially white males) need to make room for each other and for different kinds of performance and they need to use their platform to lift other people up.
Looking around, which artists really excite you?
Baby Lame, a good friend of mine, is someone who lifts people up. It’s an incredibly crass, in-your-face John Walters style of performance. I love what the East London Strippers Collective are doing as it’s a night solely produced by women and I feel like its turning the stripping industry on its head. Also, Lads at Her Upstairs with Lolo Brow and Lily Snatchdragon. It’s such a cool night, again all woman performing. Sadie Sinner, too, who I think is an incredible performer and an inspiring person. AND whatever’s on at The Glory on Friday night is always amazing, different and shambolic.
Who would you love to have in the audience of one of your shows? I’m guessing Mariah would be top of the list?
I mean that would be amazing but I’d be so worried the whole time about offending her. In my heart of hearts I’m an indie kid so I’m imagining Patti Smith or Courtney Love or David Bowie – one of those early androgynous icons. THAT would be the dream for me.
Mariah & Friendz: Rainbow Pride is on 8th July at Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club and Bingo Babes is on 9th July at The Glory.
