This interview has been edited for clarity and readability.
Here at the Observer, we were recently fortunate enough to chat with a local drag queen, Madam Zapple. Madam Zapple can be found on Instagram at @madamzapple. Check out the interview below!
Shaun Hood: How and when did you start off as a drag queen?
Madam Zapple: I was working as a nurse through COVID and I was looking for something to relieve stress and I was looking for something creative. I started doing my makeup in 2020 and then just developed that skill. I started learning how to sew. I called this the incubation time. Then in 2023, I did my first performance at Jacques’ Cabaret in Boston.
SH: Why should everyone experience a drag show?
MZ: I think everyone should experience a show because it is a place where everyone’s welcome and accepted and a place where the only expectation is that everyone has a good time. I think it’s just a place where people should go and just expect to have fun and leave the weight of the world at the door. Everyone needs that more than ever right now – just a place to go, have fun and experience joy and leave things at the door.
SH: What is your favorite part about being a drag performer?
MZ: To go off of what I just said, I think my favorite part is just to help foster an environment where people can just come and have fun and just to make a large group of people feel included and feel in on something fun. I think my favorite part is just getting to connect with people, get to know people, and it’s a great opportunity to meet people in the community. It’s forced me to meet people in the queer community, meet allies, and it’s pushed me out of my comfort zone in that way. So, I guess just meeting and collaborating with people.
SH: Where are some of the usual venues that you perform at?
MZ: I coin myself the Queen of the North Shore. So, I work mostly with venues in the North Shore and in Boston. I work closely with my friend Art who produces Art R Events shows. You can find him on Instagram at @artrevents, but we do a lot of shows together in breweries around the North Shore. We work with True North, RiverWalk, BearWolf Brewing. Then, we do a brunch together. That was at Village Tavern in Salem. It’s now going to be at Mission Boathouse in Beverly.
I would say my home bar is the Paddle Inn in Newburyport. That’s where I have a bingo that I do twice a month there. I also work with Bubble Bar in Amesbury and Dear Annie in Cambridge. Going back to Paddle Inn, I work with all of their bars. They own Trina’s Starlight Lounge in Cambridge. They also own Parlor Sports in Somerville. I also work with the Sunset Club, which is in Plum Island, Jacques’ Cabaret in Boston, Club Cafe in Boston. Those are the main ones.
SH: Tell us about your upcoming show in Haverhill at The Hill.
MZ: So, I was lucky enough to meet the owners of G’s when I moved here to Haverhill and I could tell the vibe was that Haverhill was looking for drag to be brought to downtown and just in the area in general. I heard a lot of interest in drag. We put on six sold out shows together, and that was a great working relationship and a great opportunity to – again – just meet people from Haverhill. I moved here and my husband and I were like, “Okay, where do the queer people hang out?” We weren’t really sure, so we were like, “Let’s just try to make something where people can come together,” and the brunch downtown was one of those opportunities.
G’s was sold and it’s now called The Hill. So, we are doing our first show at the venue with the new owners, and it’s on May 3rd. We have two showtimes, it’s at 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM. I am very excited to hopefully sell out two more shows and bring everyone back. I’m hoping that everyone will have an amazing time and we’ll get to keep going every couple months or so. I’m hoping it will keep running, it’s going to be really fun. Big Jahnelle and Alana Thicc will be there, and I’ll be hosting, and I think everyone’s going to come have fun at the party.
SH: What is something that everyone should know about drag?
MZ: I think everyone should know that drag is not that serious. A lot of people have a lot of preconceived notions about what drag is, especially given all of the talk of drag and separately about trans people in the media. I think it’s important for everyone to know that while trans people really did pioneer the art of drag and people of color pioneered the art of drag, not all drag queens are trans. While that is a distinction, I think it’s important that drag as an art form is something that is used. For example, for myself, I use drag as a platform to stand up for people. So, I guess in that way, it is serious.
I think it’s a great platform to spotlight all different types of people in our community, but at the same time, it’s really not that serious. I think a lot of people think drag is more serious than it is, but really we’re just people dancing around in wigs trying to put a smile on people’s face. There’s all different types of drag. I think a lot of times people have feelings about drag is not family friendly and some people think drag should be illegal. I think I always like to say just like actors and singers, there are drag performers who do family-friendly drag and some who do adult only drag and some who do both. I think those types of performances are very different. That’s an important distinction that drag can be family-friendly, and also sometimes it’s not family-friendly, and I think it’s up to families to decide what is appropriate for their family.
SH: Is there anything else that you’re working on or that you have coming up that you’d like our readers to know about?
MZ: I am preparing for pride right now, as well as all the other performers in the community. So, I’m really just trying to work out some new performances for everyone and some new outfits. I am trying to also work out maybe getting a couple more shows in the Haverhill area, so it’s closer to home and I’m helping serve my community in that way more. So I am trying to bring more shows to the Haverhill area. So, stay tuned and hopefully people will see those coming out soon.
