Review: Canada's Drag Race, S2 E2 Under The Big Top

Each week Toronto based comedian Chris Middleton will review the latest episode of Canada’s Drag Race. Season two premiered October 14 on Crave.

Tis the Broadway season, which means it’s time for a Rusical episode! I usually love these episodes, as it’s a chance for the queens to show out with a big production and even bigger performances. Though I was NOT feeling the Jantasy this time, because they made the worst possible choice and made the queens sing live.

Why, oh why, must you make us suffer like this? 

Musical theatre is a skill — at least that’s what the musical theatre people in my life keep belting at me. Singing is hard! It's a skill you develop over time. Just look at Rihanna, who went from mild hero to an absolute powerhouse! Making the queens sing live is a little unfair to the ones who have only practiced splitting their legs and not their vocal chords.

If you haven’t developed your voice, and then you’re also expected to do Hollywood Jade level choreography, well… You’re gonna episodes like what we got tonight.

This wasn’t a terrible Rusical. While the circus theme was a bit of a choice, it was actually really well written. But the execution gave us tears of a clown and NOT the good kind.

Being part of a group in a Rusical also an added struggle because you’re only as good as your weakest teammate. Denali and Gottmik proved you can be part of a duo and still be in the top, though they got to lip sync their parts, so… kind of an unfair advantage. 

While the Icesis/Stephanie duo gave a more middling “meh” performance, I really just felt bad for the Francophone queens who were cast as Bing, Bang and Bong. Adriana was the only one who got away unscathed. Should’ve Sing Sang Sung your parts, cause you sent yourselves to the Ding Dang Doghouse with this one! 

Though on the other hand, Eve — self proclaimed singer who’s never sung live — did struggle to stand out solo in the Rusical. This is in contrast to Kendall Gender — self proclaimed salesperson — who did exceptionally well. She and Pythia were both great examples of how to turn out a Rusical with a little singing abilities. Lean into character! Kendall gave us the greatest show, man, and Pythia really ate IT.

I love Eve, and they’ve been given us all the drama Scarlett Envy was promising in All Stars 6. They have the character, but all that glue has got them stuck in their head! Hope someone gets them some acetone, quick, so they can *snap out of it* (read in Cher voice).

While letting the queens sing live can give us some Gia Metric level performances (and Synthia Kiss, how was she ONLY safe?!), I don’t think it’s worth the quality of the episode suffering for it. Lip syncing a Rusical was a staple of the franchise for a reason. It’s what these queens do all the time! Especially in Canada, which — in my biased opinion — turns out the best lip syncs of the franchise. Don’t let these queens fall flat, or at least let them sharpen their singing skills with a lesson or three.