Kings & Queens

Joey Josephs' Amazing Technicolor Drag Show

by Natalie Hope McDonald

Joey Josephs can transform into Liza Minnelli in 10 minutes. He learned it the hard way a few years ago at Gay Pride. "I got the wrong bus schedule," says the host of Club Cabaret, a new biweekly drag series at Sisters. "So I did the face in five minutes, took off my boy clothes and put on a wig." Voila.

These days, the South Philly native channels a cavalcade of divas, including Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe and Connie Francis—the last of whom he's corresponded with for years thanks to her generous Italian rendition of "The Impossible Dream."

As the recently crowned Miss Venture Inn, Josephs has applied many an eyelash over an 18-year career as a female impersonator before launching Club Cabaret last month. He's long conjured up the ghosts of gay boys past at hometown hot spots like the Lark Bar in Bridgeport, The Raven in New Hope and Philly's now-defunct Applause Applause, as well as New York City supper clubs.

It wasn't always marabou, however. "They told me I would not look pretty," remembers the 45-year-old Pine Hill, N.J., resident, who first started performing in his 20s at long-gone nightclub Odyssey II. "They told me, 'You will look like Sylvester Stallone.'"

But with a half-dozen awards under his sequined belt, the pint-sized impersonator has brainstormed five new shows. At his "Santa Baby" holiday extravaganza (Dec. 10), he'll mimic Kylie Minogue's sparkly version of the Eartha Kitt classic—as Marilyn Monroe. His Nov. 26 show, "Bikers, Babes & Blonde Bombshells," will feature a mix of lip-synching drag kings and queens, including locals Mike Hunt, Buster Hymen and Precious Caliente.

"I've seen a lot of good drag and bad drag," says 25-year-old Hunt, who recently performed as Elvis in Josephs' Grease-inspired show. "This is good drag." When Hunt (aka Jess Krebs), a barback at Sisters, is not donning facial hair and a pompadour, Mr. Delaware 2006 opts for fun over politics. "It's more low-key than a lot of other drag shows," she says, referring to her and fellow king Hymen's nonpolitical credo.

"I've done everything from George Michael's 'Faith' in a full priest outfit to Lenny Kravitz and a disco cowboy," says Hymen (Crystal Fox), a waitress at Sisters. "But there's definitely a political aspect to drag in the king's world."

Fortunately, the unisex shows feature plenty of feel-good numbers, like Caliente's tributes to Britney Spears and Madonna, for which he's been slipping into racy outfits for a little over three years. "It's all about [makeup] contour and shading," says the 22-year-old New Hope native, who also goes by Justin Mason. "You do your makeup to bring out different features—or to hide 'em."

Sisters' boa-happy hen house has been attracting audiences who prefer a pre-show brunch to Bob & Barbara's notorious Pabst-and-Beam special. The dancefloor is turned into a cabaret with front-row seating, where audience members wave dollar bills as busty balladeers literally shake things up. The performers have to pay for their duds somehow, admits Josephs, who keeps the wheels spinning thanks to a thrifty cover charge that benefits the entertainment. "I wanted to do a show for the LGBT audience," he says. "We're all gay. We should get together, women and men. It's the only way we're going to be represented."

Club Cabaret

Sun., Nov. 26 and Sun., Dec. 10, 5:30 p.m., $3, Sisters, 1320 Chancellor St., 215-735-0735, www.sistersnightclub.com.