Musical production on the TV series RuPaul's Drag Race
Montage of screenshots from various Rusicals
A Rusical (portmanteau of "
RuPaul " and "musical") is a
musical theatre
[1] challenge on the television series
RuPaul's Drag Race and other iterations of the show within the
Drag Race franchise .
The productions have been featured on the American series since season 6, and have been described by Cordu Krubally of
Screen Rant as "a highly anticipated staple" of the show, allowing contestants to showcase their talents.
[2]
Rusicals by series
RuPaul's Drag Race
Season nine 's Rusical (
Kardashians: The Musical ) was inspired by the musical
Hamilton .
[3] The American series has also seen Rusicals about
Cher ,
Donald Trump , and
Madonna . Seasons
fourteen and
fifteen had parodies of the films
Moulin Rouge! and
Footloose respectively. Season
sixteen 's Rusical was a parody of the musical
The Sound of Music and its
film adaptation .
RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars
The Rusical in season 2 of
RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars depicted historical women.
Alaska Thunderfuck ,
Alyssa Edwards ,
Detox , and
Ginger Minj portrayed a
Britney Spears -inspired
Eve ,
[10]
Annie Oakley ,
Marie Antoinette , and
Catherine the Great , respectively.
[11]
Katya and
Phi Phi O'Hara portrayed
Princess Diana and
Helen of Troy , respectively.
[12]
[13] On season 3 ("
Divas Lip Sync Live "),
Aja performed as
Amy Winehouse ,
BeBe Zahara Benet as
Diana Ross ,
BenDeLaCreme as
Julie Andrews ,
Chi Chi DeVayne as
Patti LaBelle ,
Kennedy Davenport as
Janet Jackson ,
Milk as
Celine Dion ,
Shangela as
Mariah Carey ,
Trixie Mattel as
Dolly Parton , and
Thorgy Thor as
Stevie Nicks .
[14]
[15] Season six's Rusical (episode "
Halftime Headliners ") was based on
Super Bowl 's
halftime show performances .
[16] The Rusical in season 8 was about
Joan Crawford .
[17]
RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race
The Rusical on season 1 of
RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race was about
Dolly Parton and her 1980 comedy film
9 to 5 .
[20]
Rusicals of RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race
Season
Rusical
Winner
1
Twerking 5 to 9: The Rusical
—
Canada's Drag Race
The clown-themed Rusical of
season 2 was inspired by the 1938 film
Under the Big Top .
[21] On
season 4 , the Rusical was about the life of host
Brooke Lynn Hytes .
Drag Race España
The
second season of
Drag Race España had a Rusical based on the musical
La llamada .
[23] The
third season had a Rusical inspired by
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz setting the story during the
La Movida Madrileña countercultural movement.
[24]
Drag Race France
Drag Race Germany
Rusicals of Drag Race Germany
Season
Rusical
Winner
1
Dragort : The Rusical
Metamorkid
Drag Race Holland
The Rusical for the
second season of
Drag Race Holland was based on the story of
Cinderella .
[25]
Rusicals of Drag Race Holland
Season
Rusical
Winner
1
Máxima - The Rusical
Janey Jacké
2
CindeRulla: The Rusical
My Little Puny
Drag Race Italia
The
second season of
Drag Race Italia had a Rusical dedicated to
Lady Gaga .
[26]
Rusicals of Drag Race Italia
Season
Rusical
Winner
1
Carrà : The Rusical
Divinity
2
Lady Gaga: The Unauthorised Rusical
La Petite Noire
3
Paola & Chiara : An Unauthorised Fairytale Rusical
Sypario
Drag Race México
The
first season of
Drag Race México had a Rusical based on
Acapulco Shore , the Mexican spin-off series of
Jersey Shore .
[27]
Rusicals of Drag Race México
Season
Rusical
Winner
1
Dragapulco Shore: The Rusical
Cristian Peralta
Drag Race Philippines
The
second season of
Drag Race Philippines had a Rusical inspired by the film
The Little Mermaid .
[28]
Rusicals of Drag Race Philippines
Season
Rusical
Winner
1
OPM Divas: The Rusical
Precious Paula Nicole
2
Sirena: The Rusical
DeeDee Marié Holliday
Drag Race Thailand
Rusicals of Drag Race Thailand
Season
Rusical
Winner
2
Apaporn Nakornsawan: Thai Musical
Kandy Zyanide
RuPaul's Drag Race UK
The Rusicals in the
second and
fourth seasons of
RuPaul's Drag Race UK were inspired by the musicals
Cats
[29]
[30] and
Mary Poppins ,
[31] respectively. The Rusical in the
fifth season was a
pantomime .
[32]
RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs. the World
References
^ Daw, Stephen (2023-08-25).
"A History of the Rusical: How a One-Off 'Drag Race' Challenge Became a Beloved Staple" . Billboard .
Archived from the original on 2023-09-02. Retrieved 2023-10-27 .
^
"RuPaul's Drag Race: Every Rusical Performance, Ranked" .
Screen Rant . 25 October 2019.
Archived from the original on 12 July 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2020 .
^
"RuPaul's Drag Race Episode 5 Power Rankings: The Kardashian Musical We Didn't Know We Needed" . W Magazine . 2017-04-22.
Archived from the original on 2023-08-14. Retrieved 2023-08-14 .
^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
"RuPaul's Drag Race: Every Rusical Winner Over The Years" . ScreenRant . 2021-02-23.
Archived from the original on 2022-03-01. Retrieved 2023-08-01 .
^ Henderson, Eric (2018-05-11).
"RuPaul's Drag Race Recap: Season 10, Episode 8, "The Unauthorized Rusical" " . Slant Magazine .
Archived from the original on 2019-03-29. Retrieved 2023-08-01 .
^
" 'Drag Race's Madonna Rusical Was One of the Best in Herstory" . www.out.com .
Archived from the original on 2020-04-11. Retrieved 2023-08-01 .
^
"The Can Can can't can't save Moulin Ru: The Rusical on RuPaul's Drag Race" . The A.V. Club . 2022-03-26.
Archived from the original on 2022-06-27. Retrieved 2023-08-01 .
^ Tangcay, Jazz (2023-06-08).
" 'Drag Race' Team on 'Wigloose: The Rusical's' Importance: 'Our Existence Could Be Put Out Like That' " . Variety .
Archived from the original on 2023-06-14. Retrieved 2023-08-01 .
^ Daw, Stephen (2024-02-15).
"The Hills Are Alive With 'The Sound of Rusic' in New Clip From 'Drag Race' Rusical Episode: Watch" . Billboard . Retrieved 2024-02-18 .
^
"Racing with Sidney: HERstory of the World | Drag Race" . 2016-09-09. Retrieved 2024-01-12 .
^ Daw, Stephen (2021-09-02).
"The 10 Best Musical Numbers In 'RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars' Herstory" . Billboard . Retrieved 2024-01-12 .
^ Daw, Stephen (2023-08-25).
"Every Rusical from 'RuPaul's Drag Race,' Ranked Worst to Best" . Billboard . Retrieved 2024-01-12 .
^ Yates, Maggie.
"BWW Breakdown: The HERstory of the World According to RUPAUL'S DRAG RACE ALL STARS" . BroadwayWorld.com . Retrieved 2024-01-12 .
^ Oliver, Isaac (2 February 2018).
" 'RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars': Dueling Divas" .
The New York Times .
Archived from the original on 30 March 2019. Retrieved March 29, 2019 .
^ Guerra, Joey (2 February 2018).
" 'RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 3' recap: Divas (almost) live" .
Houston Chronicle .
Archived from the original on 30 March 2019. Retrieved March 29, 2019 .
^
" 'RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 6' Episode 4 recap: Let's play some football | Xtra Magazine" . 2021-07-08.
Archived from the original on 2021-07-09. Retrieved 2023-08-30 .
^ Frank, Jason P. (2023-06-09).
"RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Recap: Mommie Queerest" . Vulture .
Archived from the original on 2023-06-11. Retrieved 2023-08-30 .
^
"StackPath" . xtramagazine.com . 8 July 2021.
Archived from the original on 2021-07-09. Retrieved 2023-08-01 .
^ Frank, Jason P. (2023-06-09).
"RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Recap: Mommie Queerest" . Vulture .
Archived from the original on 2023-06-11. Retrieved 2023-08-01 .
^
"From beauty queen to drag queen: Vanessa Williams transforms into Dolly Parton on 'Celebrity Drag Race' " . Yahoo Entertainment . 2020-05-02.
Archived from the original on 2020-06-04. Retrieved 2023-08-30 .
^
"Canada's Drag Race Season 2 Episode 2 Recap: It's Jester Rusical" . ScreenRant . 2021-10-22.
Archived from the original on 2022-04-13. Retrieved 2023-08-01 .
^ Harrison, Frankie (2022-08-26).
"Canada's Drag Race Season 3 Episode 7 Recap: Girls Trip: The Rusical" . IN Magazine .
Archived from the original on 2023-08-01. Retrieved 2023-08-01 .
^
"Las reinas de 'Drag Race España' adaptarán el musical 'La llamada' en su cuarta entrega, este domingo en ATRESplayer PREMIUM" . atresplayer.com (in European Spanish). 2022-04-13.
^
"Las reinas de "Drag Race España" versionarán "El Mago de Oz" " . mundoplus.tv (in European Spanish). 2023-05-20.
^
"RuPaul's Drag Race Holland Season 2 - Episode 4" . Spill the Tea . 2021-08-28.
Archived from the original on 2023-10-27. Retrieved 2023-10-27 .
^
"Drag Race Italia 2, cos'è successo nella quinta puntata" . Vanity Fair Italia (in Italian). 2022-11-17.
Archived from the original on 2023-06-08. Retrieved 2023-10-27 .
^ Villa, Lucas (2023-07-13).
" 'Drag Race México' Episode 4 Recap: The Rusical, Reading Challenge & Paulina Rubio" . Remezcla .
Archived from the original on 2023-07-21. Retrieved 2023-08-01 .
^ Antonio, Josiah.
" 'Drag Race PH': Dee Dee Marie Holiday wins 'Rusical' challenge" . ABS-CBN News .
Archived from the original on 2023-09-29. Retrieved 2023-10-27 .
^ Moylan, Brian (2021-01-21).
"RuPaul's Drag Race U.K. Recap: Rats Off" . Vulture .
Archived from the original on 2022-12-25. Retrieved 2023-10-27 .
^
"Here's how RuPaul's Drag Race UK fans reacted to Rats: The Rusical" . GAY TIMES . 2021-01-21. Retrieved 2023-10-27 .
^
" 'RuPaul's Drag Race UK' Season 4, Episode 5 recap: West End winners | Xtra Magazine" . 2022-10-21.
Archived from the original on 2022-10-21. Retrieved 2023-10-27 .
^
" "Avenge me!": Drag Race UK star Banskie on exit and "heated" Untucked" .
Gay Times . 2023-10-27.
Archived from the original on 2023-10-27. Retrieved 2023-10-27 .
^
"Here's how RuPaul's Drag Race UK fans reacted to Rats: The Rusical" .
Gay Times . 2021-01-21. Retrieved 2023-08-01 .
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