That’s right, Gieza’s Poke House and Pansy’s House of Presents returned to their home stage of Monster Ronsons last night.
That’s resident goth terror dolly (and newlywed!) Antina Christ, above. After five months of virtual shows and weekly livestreams, Gieza Poke and Pansy were very, very glad to be performing and producing IRL again. And so glad that cherished East Berlin queer clubhouse Monster Ronsons has survived, so far, the pandemic recession and months of shutdown.
To keep everybody going has been a stupendous effort of community and mutual aid, a testament of love to and from Berlin’s queer folx.
Pansy has worked so hard to keep income flowing to Berlin’s queer performers.
And she kept herself up, showing up onscreen in exquisite drag looks with no one in her flat but her cute dog Tina, week after week! Last night, back onstage, she wore an absolutely precious Alice look, with perfect petticoats, miles of leg, peeptoe pumps and Marilyn curls.
During the Poke House, statuesque Aussie Reflektra hit the stage in what looked like couture.
But was apparently made from curtains! In quarantine, Berlin’s drag queens have had time but no money, and have made do creatively!
However drawing people onstage, after months of drawing mostly people filming themselves in their apartments, is a real shift. I could not see faces very well, and so needed to rely on body language to convey the sense of the performance. I am gonna need to adapt, which is fine. Like Berlin’s performers, I am highly adaptable and creative!
I swear to you that her gown was at least this big and poufy and amazing.
One of my favorites, Luna TikTok, gave us classic burlesque!
Luna TikTok is one aspect of ThemTikToks, a performer whose dualities enrich this city so much.
Current Berlin regulations mean tickets for the Poke House/House of Presents show need to be purchased in advance, rather than at the door.
You can buy them here, along with cool merch! And for those who can’t attend in person, you can watch every Tuesday night on twitch! All the regulars are nattering in the chat same as always 🙂
I am so grateful to my Patreon Patrons, whose monthly financial support lets me keep documenting Berlin’s international, intersectional drag and burlesque performers while I work safely at home.