The Drag Roast Of Heklina

Now available for your streaming enjoyment is Revry Originals' live performance "The Drag Roast Of Heklina," hosted by Drag Dominator Jackie Beat, and features LGBTQ celebrities; Alaska Thunderfuck, Jinx Monsoon, Bob the Drag Queen, Sister Roma, Julie Brown and Peaches Christ.

Heklina, acclaimed as Drag's enduring boundary buster was roasted at the Historic Castro Theatre in San Francisco in February of 2018. Revry's filmed live performance of her sisters' non-stop insults will tickle the funny bone underneath almost any queen's corset.

First, you may ask yourself, "Who is Heklina?" and "Why on Earth would Drag Royalty choose to roast her?" As with many roasts from the dawn of day, a Roast is actually a biting tribute to its guest of honor, while poking fun, insulting and pointing out their obvious flaws. Heklina is star personality in the city by the Bay because of her founding mother of "Mother" (formerly Trannyshack) in 1996. Put this in the Drag Queen world and you get a library that is always open and where the reading of another queen extended beyond being fundamental, mostly landing like an anvil dropped from a drag queen's high rise apartment.

No shots are unfired, no punches pulled. The highlight for this viewer is flawless comedian Jackie Beat (taking a few cheap shots from the others), but perfectly emceeing this night of laughter. She is a true professional and makes it known with her impeccable comic timing. Sister Roma, a virtual unknown outside of San Fran circles, is the least impressive of the bunch, but still rides among the rest with her clownish jokes and silly clown-like shtick is all in great fun. Jinx Monsoon is just a pleasant watch for her laughter alone, and dry-delivery prima-donna Alaska Thunderfuck steals the show at the end. She was a last-minute sub for Katya Zamolodchikova, who was in rehab at the time of taping.

The show isn't without its odd moments – odder than what a viewer should be hearing. Lovable Julie Brown, although off with a whiz-bang, gut-busting start, ends her time at the podium with a bizarre rendition of her "Girl Fight Tonight," leaving everyone confused; and Bob The Drag Queen steps out from hiding and onto the podium for a few zingers but (out of drag) fails to electrify, and sadly his jokes fail to hit the target.

All in all, seeing Revy's live performance is a nice chance to catch a fleeting local show with more than local personalities performing. Watch it, laugh, but don't expect a polished Comedy Central-esque TV special. The show is shot on what seems to be a sub-par level camera with sub-par sound. Heklina isn't a wrong choice for a first stab at a filmed Drag Roast personality, but this viewer wonders why the producers didn't shoot a bit higher on the Drag pecking order for a personality that's a bit more universally known.