What good is sitting alone in your room? Come to 3 Dollar Bill on January 4, and watch 11 of NYC’s finest performers deliver their rhinestone-encrusted love letter, LIZA-PALOOZA, to the queen of jazz hands herself! Producer Kiki Ball-Change has assembled a dream team of NYC drag royalty, including RuPaul’s Drag Race sensation Alexis Michelle, Gloria Swansong, Julie J, MARIYEA, Marti Gould Cummings, Miss Ma’amShe, Selma Nilla, Sherry Poppins, ShowPonii, and Vampy Von Thickums Galore for a night that’ll have you seeing sequins until February.
We sat down with three of the evening’s stars — self-proclaimed “Broadway Bimbo” Kiki Ball-Change, Brooklyn-based drag king ShowPonii, and the “Spooky Dancing Diva Enchantress” Vampy Von Thickums Galore — to discuss everything from Liza Minnelli’s lasting influence on queer culture to their personal connections with her artistry.
Chloe Yang (CY): How did you come up with the idea for LIZA-PALOOZA? Why now?
Kiki Ball-Change (KBC): My roommate and I were watching RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, Series 5, and we saw La Voix’s amazing Liza Minnelli impersonation. We both thought how amazing it would be to have a show where every performer does Liza Minnelli. There hasn’t really been a Liza show that I’ve heard of in NYC as long as I’ve lived here. Liza is such an icon to the queer community, and I felt it was an amazing way to honor her legacy.
Why now? Well, first of all, her documentary comes out later in January, so I thought it was good timing, but also, not to be too morbid, but we only have so long on this earth with LEGENDS. Cher, Barbra, Patti, Liza, Dolly … these are women that really paved a new way forward with their art. I think it’s incredibly important to pay homage to them while we still have them here with us.
CY: And how did you both get involved in LIZA-PALOOZA? What makes you excited to participate?
ShowPonii (SP): Kiki asked me and my partner Sherry Poppins to do a duet to “Money” and we immediately said yes! We’ve both been dying to do a duet together and this was the perfect opportunity.
Vampy Von Thickums Galore (VVTG): I have this wonderful opportunity to be in this show thanks to a phenomenal diva by the name of Kiki Ball-Change. Before this she was someone who I’ve seen at the start of my drag career. I just sincerely admired her talent, comedic timing, looks, and concepts. I remember seeing Two Stupid Queens with Kiki and her fabulous co-host Castrata at Pieces Bar and just dying of laughter.
Nine months later I got the chance to meet Kiki at 3 Dollar Bill (where LIZA-PALOOZA! will be held, Jan 4, 10 PM, tickets available now and going fast). When I tell you I was trying now to fangirl, I was trying incredibly hard. After seeing her work … big fan. Soon later she began to hear about me but didn’t quite know me because our schedules didn’t line up enough for us to even queen out. But at the (recent) time when some divas and divos moved over from X to Bluesky, Kiki was one of the first few people who I followed on there and we had few laughs because I was posting some very funny things and was trending because of my “Oh Hey Everybody” moment for this year’s Glam Awards. She at the same time also posted on Bluesky about a Liza show, and asked who would come out for it.
Now when I tell you that I’m a musical theater diva and Liza Minnelli was one of my favorite divas from stage to music video and so forth. I immediately commented “I WILL BE THERE WITH MY LIZA WIG SCREAMING.” She messaged me right after and asked if I wanted in. NO HESITATION I say YES. From there we now hit the present and I can’t wait.
CY: Introduce your persona to folks that haven’t yet had the pleasure of seeing you live.
KBC: I’m Kiki Ball-Change! I’m a drag queen in NYC. I’m an award-winning cabaret artist, and a multi-hyphenate writer, singer, dancer, actor, content creator, and performer. I like to say I’m the Broadway Bimbo of NYC. My persona is very bold and big, but I love to act like an idiot and make people laugh.
SP: My name is ShowPonii and I am a Brooklyn based Drag King. My drag is always a little Rock n Roll mixed in with just being a flamboyantly dramatic gay man. I do everything from 1980s hits to old school Latino music I grew up with! When it comes to inventing new numbers the options are limitless for me.
VVTG: Answer: “Oh HeY EvERyBoDY” it’s me Vampy Von Thickums Galore the “Diva, I’m Feel It” of Brooklyn, NY. I was born and raised in South Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY. I have been doing drag for two years.
I’m known to be the Spooky Dancing Diva Enchantress, I give show GALORE. I’m also 1/4 of New York’s / the world’s only “ALL PLUS SIZE, ALL POC, ALL NEW YORK NATIVE” Drag Girl Group known as “TheBigGirlz,” which was nominated at this year’s Glam Awards for “BEST GROUP/DUO.” This is my first year being nominated and it’s a great honor to be nominated in three categories total at this year’s Glam Awards: Breakthrough Artist, Best Dance Performer, and Best Group/Duo (The Big Girlz).
Alongside The Big Girlz I have over six shows across Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan, two of which I produce myself. As much of a pleasure and horror it is to have all these shows, it’s also a guilty pleasure to be part of other people’s projects and shows. I love a good challenge and being able to mingle, getting to know how other people work, and also presenting my work to the vast audiences who haven’t had the opportunity to see me. I’m always about community and entertainment so whenever I put on a show or I’m a special guest for someone else’s show, I always try to bring people over, together, and show them an amazing time. So much that you don’t wanna leave or can’t wait to come back.
CY: What is your personal relationship with Liza Minnelli’s work? Is there a particular performance or moment that has inspired you as an artist?
KBC: I mean, Liza is truly one-of-a-kind. I think what has most resonated with me is her spirit. The way she can infuse any song, dance, and performance with something that is so uniquely Liza is something to be studied. There is no one like her. I connect to her so much, like many queer people, because she is essentially a drag queen. She has a specific look, a specific style, a specific voice. She’s also been through a lot of hardships that resonate with our community. And of course, it can’t go without mentioning her mother is literally Judy Garland. If there is a God and Jesus for the queer community, it’s Judy and Liza.
SP: Her cover of “Losing My Mind” is one of my favorites but truly she’s always been such a funny character in general. From her cameo in the Sex and the City movie, to every little funny clip of her quirky sayings, she’s just a joyful person who thoroughly enjoys life to the fullest.
VVTG: Liza Minnelli’s work is ASTOUNDING. Me and Liza share a very similar upbringing. Like her, I wanted to be a dancer and travel the world with a dance company. Unfortunately life took both of us in different directions. She wound up in music, TV/film and Broadway. I wound up being a drag queen.
Regardless, what I love about her work. As much as there is performance, there is depth, truth, life, breath, emotion. It’s the way she transforms visually, vocally, theatrically. It’s so moving and so transformative. She is a woman of ingenuity, intelligence, talent, spunk, and moxie. Very similar to another diva I love who also loves a good short hair moment. I guess you can say I have a thing for short hair divas. Nonetheless, it’s those qualities that I as an entertainer try to integrate to my work. As much as I am a dancing diva, I will NEVER box myself, as I’m much more versatile than what people think.
I think one moment I will also turn to is the one where Liza is in the film Cabaret. There are two in fact. One is the “Mein Herr” number/scene: such a moment it’s impossible to not say the word “diva.” It was choreographed and directed By Bob Fosse, one of my favorites. The second would be the “Maybe This Time” number/scene. There is so much passion and emotion behind it, yet it’s so subtle. I resonated with it so much as our characters are similar: when she loves, she loves hard and is not afraid to fall ‘cause there is hope that someone else will catch you. Makes me cry quite often.
CY: Liza has often spoken about the importance of storytelling in her performances. How do you approach storytelling, and how does Liza’s influence shape that narrative?
KBC: Storytelling shapes every one of my performances. Especially in my cabarets, they’re all one-woman shows of me telling stories. I get a lot of that inspiration from my drag mother Miss Coco Peru. She puts immense emphasis on being a storyteller. I think it’s wonderful that drag can be so many different things, like any art form. I’ve chosen to be more of an actor in my drag. I think when you can break that wall down between the audience and the performer, and really let them into your heart and your mind, that’s when magic happens.
SP: I always love to come up with a story and a character when I’m creating a new number. Sometimes I’ll just do a song straight through but for the most part especially for my more conceptual performances, I’ll think about the character and what I want the audience to feel while I’m performing.
VVTG: Well here is the thing. Liza reminds me to tell the story I am trying to tell. As someone who also spends a large portion of their life in the world of performance, this is something I already knew. But Liza showed me how to take any story and breathe life to it. It’s no secret, in fact I’ll tell you what it is….. ready…… it’s know what on earth you are doing. Once you have spent so much time on the work and had a person, in-depth heart to heart on how you connect with the work. You will discover a new way to present the work.
CY: Liza has been a significant figure in LGBTQ+ culture, especially during the AIDS crisis. How do you see your role as a performer contributing to the ongoing dialogue about LGBTQ+ representation and activism today?
KBC: It’s cliche to say at this point, but drag is political. I hope there’s a day where it doesn’t have to be, but in our current political climate, when right-wing politicians (and even some Democrats) are blaming queer and trans people for the ills of society, we must be louder and prouder than ever. Hiding in the shadows or the closet gets us nowhere. So whether a drag performer is explicitly political or not, we are all pawns in their game. I think looking at the leaders of the fight against the government’s response to AIDS in the 80s — organizations like ACT UP — we have the blueprint of how to be on the offensive. They’re saying we’re groomers and pedophiles, while Matt Gaetz is paying teenagers for sex and Donald Trump is found liable for sexual assault in civil court. We need to spin this back to them and hold a mirror up to their faces. They blame minorities for every issue because they have no real solutions for them. All they want to do is distract the public and have them pointing fingers at each other while billionaires line their pockets with more and more wealth. We are blinded by consumerism and commercialism. Money talks, especially when most of our society is scraping by to pay for groceries. However, I think it’s important to realize that people power talks more than money. When we all come together to stand up to the oligarchs, bigots, and politicians who are robbing us blind, we will come out on the other side stronger than ever. We have seen this all before, and we’re sadly seeing it unfold again in real time. Our history shows us the path forward.
SP: My drag has always been a political statement just by showing up in spaces. I’m a drag king, which is still not very accepted in most scenes, and I’ve struggled even now to get the representation I know every king and thing deserves. My trans identity is also a big influence on my drag. I love to show off my body and just have fun because trans joy is always a form of resistance. I love that I’ve been able to influence other trans people to love their bodies and to help them feel more confident in demanding the respect and equal pay we all deserve in and out of nightlife.
VVTG: I see my role is as important and valuable as any other performer’s is. It doesn’t matter if you are a queen, king, thing. If you do drag and are on a stage with a mic in hand, it is also your power to shine light on and for our community. Keeping everyone aware of everything and be part of the fight for our rights, our health, and our ability to be seen and heard.
Like Liza, she never cared about what race or size you are, or who you loved, but she cared and continued to fight for what mattered more: the right to love, to live, to be who you are without question. I think all that came about because her father Vincent Minnelli was gay/bisexual.
CY: What unique twist do you plan to bring to your tribute to Liza? Are there any unexpected elements or surprises in your act that audiences can look forward to?
KBC: I’m so thrilled that we have the first Liza Snatch Game winner, Alexis Michelle, performing with us. We are also giving away two free tickets to DRAG: The Musical, which Liza is a producer of. I think like I said earlier, there hasn’t been a Liza Minnelli based drag show before, and I can’t wait to bring this to audiences in NYC, performing in a city that feels just like the home for Liza.
SP: My partner and I are very excited for our duet together. I’ve performed the Alan Cumming version of “Money” for a few years now and have always wanted to do the original. We took a lot of inspiration from the movie along with throwing our own twist on the choreography in general.
VVTG: Well without giving away too much, I sincerely would love for you to come and not know what will happen next. I didn’t choose any songs from her Broadway moments. I personally try to do/find things that people wouldn’t expect, so I chose a song that was not only a dance track hit, but also something that spoke volumes to both me and Liza’s life experiences. Since I’m not one to say that I have had the best love life, I will say that this song really resonates and will allow me to give you life. Either in words or my dance performance abilities.
CY: Can you share any other upcoming projects or performances you’re excited about?
KBC: Yes! I’m thrilled to be bringing my award-winning cabaret My Funny Valentine back to NYC on February 13 at Red Eye. As well, you can catch me every Sunday at VERS and every Tuesday at Pieces, both at 9 PM. And depending on how this show goes … who knows, there might be some more -PALOOZAs in the future.
SP: I have a few shows that I’m very excited for. I run the only drag king brunch in all of NYC with my fellow Glam Award winner Myster E Mel Kiki and our brunch also is the first drag king brunch to be nominated for a Glam Award! We are every first Saturday of the month at Fresco’s Grand Cantina in Astoria. I also run an all drag king/thing show with two other amazing kings called FAGNET. Myself, MAUVE, and GOD COMPLEX are at C’mon Everybody every 4th Sunday, and this show is nominated for a Glam Award as well! We made this show to put kings and things at the forefront of our productions and give them the space to create and do whatever they desire! It also helps that our DJ plays amazing music — we would not be complete without our very own faghag Evangeline getting everyone dancing in between sets!
VVTG: Yes of course.
- Every Thursday: At Playhouse Bar for “ The Big Girlz.” Shows start at 8:30 PM
- Every 3rd Saturday: At Fresco’s Grand Cantina, for “Big Back Brunch” seatings at 2 PM. Call (347)997-3070 to make your reservations. Show from The Big Girlz
- Every 3rd Saturday: At Sandy Jack’s for my show “Haus of Thickness.” A monthly show with rotating special guests and different themes each month. Shows at 9 PM sharp
- Every 3rd Sunday: At ICON Astoria for “Big Girlz TakeOver.” Shows by The Big Girlz starting at 9 PM
- February 8: At Sandy Jack’s for “Now That’s What I Call a Series: Jessie Ware.” Shows at 9 PM sharp
As always you can follow me on all social platforms @vampybethickums to know more about shows and projects you can catch me at.
Chloe Yang (she/they) has bylines in BroadwayWorld, 360° of Opera, and more. A fangirl at heart, she’s had the privilege of interviewing luminaries such as Angel Blue, Hui He, Kim David Smith and Tracy K. Smith, yet finds the greatest fulfillment in lending her voice to regional theaters and artists from historically underrepresented groups. When she’s not busy exploring NYC restaurants and museums all dolled up, Chloe can be found conspiring to lure more youths to the Metropolitan Opera. Follow her journey and say hi!