Trixie Mattel and Katya Zamolodchikova gave The Paramount Theater’s historical interior a drag-tastic makeover Oct. 7, while serving laughter and looks—dedicating the show to bisexuals and their supportive boyfriends, fourteen year-olds who left their parents at home and most dearly, lesbians. 

Their 17th stop on the tour, Trixie and Katya gave Seattle a charismatic performance full of caricatured pop-culture digs, impromptu musical numbers, sequin-studded wardrobe changes, outrageous character breaks and a murderous sponsor who made a guest appearance throughout the show.

Creating an imaginary sponsor for Trixie and Katya, “Klarma,” brought a smart touch to the show that pushed the storyline forward. The queens opened with a quick Klarma ad break, and went on to ‘fight’ over Klarma’s stipulation that the show be a classic Shakespearean drama. 

The queens quickly traded in their Elizabethan dresses for skin-tight pleather and lime-green feather boas, only to soon be greeted by their talent manager, Sandy, played by fellow Drag Race alum Kelly Mantle. Flaunting crimped blond hair, a power-suit, a neck cast, a Bostonian accent and an always-lit cigarette, Sandy acted as a hilariously disgruntled and fame-hungry mediator between Trixie and Katya. As the queens fought for creative control over the show, Sandy incessantly reminded them that they had sold the rights of the show to Klarma and needed to appease the higher-ups. 

In line with their traditional sass, Trixie and Katya did not do a good job at keeping peace with Klarma or each other. 

Katya entered stage right wearing a business professional outfit and a solemn look, ready to present her TEDxxx talk on all the times Trixie had interrupted her. As the screen rolled clips of the queens’ past interviews, black and white freeze frames marked Trixie’s bad habit of talking over Katya. Unsurprisingly, Trixie marched on from stage left and took over Katya’s TEDxxx talk, leading to Katya storming off stage. 

It was then that Trixie broke into a musical number, accompanied by a shirtless quartet of backup dancers. As Trixie showcased her long legs and provocative choreography, the audience was treated to the backup dancer’s suggestive movements that could only be met with nervous screams or covering one’s eyes (or, for the brave, utter delight). 

It was Katya’s turn to stun the audience in her next scene appearance, and stun she did. While listening to a meditation podcast to prepare for her next scene, Katya appeared to become hypnotized and fell unconscious center stage. However, the show must go on. 

Against a backdrop of strobe lights and fog machines, the shirtless quartet paraded Katya’s lifeless body around the stage. The finishing move was hanging Katya from wires on the ceiling. The crowd burst into untameable laughter as the queen was lifted (still ‘unconscious’) up toward the ceiling, where she would hang for an uncomfortable amount of time. 

A whirlwind of glitter, kinky jokes, shocking plot twists and tons of personality characterized Trixie and Katya Live!. The most entracing aspect, however, may have been the many instances of fourth-wall and character breaks. 

It wasn’t hard to see real camaraderie between Trixie, Katya and Kelly—as each managed to bring genuine laughter out of the other and spark unscripted discourse that often involved the audience.

From beginning to end, the audience was in an uproar of laughter and enthusiasm. Trixie and Katya Live! was an electric show that could only come from the strange, creative minds of Trixie Mattel and Katya Zamolodchikova.