“Are you asking the kinkiest thing we’ve done?” came the typically bold response from Nymphia Wind.
That wasn’t precisely the question I had posed to her and sister international drag superstar Plastique Tiara as we discussed the duo’s upcoming performance at Mid-Atlantic Leather’s main event party, Kinetic Presents KINK: Double Trouble. But since Nymphia brought it up, do tell.
“Well, when in London, you explore,” Nymphia said, coyly referencing her time on the city’s nightlife scene as a baby queen, years before becoming Season 16 winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race.
“I think the kinkiest thing we’ve done is this show in D.C.,” quipped Plastique, a global favorite and social media star. The pair riffed delightfully like a well-oiled team, despite being separated by many time zones and thousands of miles on our Zoom call.
“I’m in Vietnam. It is 2:12 a.m.,” Plastique informed me, looking fresh and moisturized out of drag. “I’m here to pick up costumes, and film visuals for the tour.” That would be The Serpents Tour, a spectacular live experience uniting these friends, two of the industry’s most recognized and accomplished Asian drag queens, in a production inspired by the Chinese legend of the White Snake and Green Snake.
“I proposed us doing a tour together,” said Plastique. “I think in our first text messages together, it was the fifth message in. Then we both said, ‘The Legend of the White Snake and Green Snake,’ together at the same exact time when we were proposing a tour. It was an insane moment for us.”
Certainly in sync, the two still do very different kinds of drag, Nymphia explained, also pointing out the ways they complement one another. “Somehow when we talked about the legend of White Snake, our characters just naturally fell into Plastique with the White and then me with the Green,” she said.
“I’m more crazy, the one running around, which matches the Green Snake character, [who’s] more youthful and she’s chaotic and she’s just out there doing the craziest stuff, and she’s careless, fiery. I think Plastique, in my eyes, is just elegant and she’s the park and bark, because she’s so beautiful, she doesn’t really need to do much. It’s like her perfection is already doing a lot of the work and that’s all you need.”
The production will serve up more than just elegance and drag excellence. Touring to 15 cities across the U.S., the Serpents Tour will also highlight local AAPI and LGBTQIA talent, and not just drag artists, at every stop.
“When we cast for the openers, we don’t want them to just open for us,” said Plastique. “It’s more about creating a community and having a platform for everyone to stand on together rather than just be the one who opened the show for us. There’s going to be little sections where they’re integrated, you just have to come and see.”
It so happens their fans in the D.C. region won’t be able to come and see the full-on Serpents Tour. The nearest scheduled stop is Philly. But fans in the DMV can get a good taste with Plastique and Nymphia’s performance at KINK Double Trouble, which will also feature DJ sets from club faves Nina Flowers, Alex Acosta, The Carry Nation, and Rose.
“We’re going to be Brittany and Rihanna up on that stage,” joked Plastique, teasing the leather and kink they might bring to the MAL stage. “I think it’s all about expression,” said Nymphia. “Drag, like leather, is just a form, an outfit, one might say, just your armor that you put out into the world. It’s just self-expression for me.”
Kinetic Presents KINK Double Trouble: Official MAL Main Event with Plastique Tiara and Nymphia Wind is Saturday, Jan. 17 at Berhta, 1235 W St. NE. Tickets are $56 to $85. Visit kineticpresents.com.
The Serpents Tour kicks off on January 25 at Irving Plaza in New York City, then continues to Philadelphia (1/26), Boston (1/27), Chicago (1/30), St. Louis (2/1), Atlanta (2/2), Orlando (2/3), Dallas (2/5), Los Angeles (2/11), San Francisco (2/12), Seattle (2/15), and Portland (2/16), with several other U.S. cities in between. Visit nymphiaplastiquelive.com.
Racers, start your engines. RuPaul’s Drag Race has revealed the 14 new queens set to grace the runway for its 18th season as they vie for the title of America’s Next Drag Superstar and a grand prize of $200,000.
Premiering January 2 on MTV, the season will be accompanied by another run of RuPaul’s Drag Race: Untucked, where viewers get the chance to get an inside look at all the tea being spilt behind the scenes of the hit show.
The new season will also feature a bit of a twist from the outset. Unlike the recent spate of season-premiere episodes that feature a talent show -- remember Season 15, when the judges were somehow unimpressed with Irene the Alien’s keen ability to make a glass of ice water? -- the competition appears to be starting with a sewing challenge.
Time to pop the cork! Whether you're chasing disco nostalgia, favorite DJs, drag-fueled countdowns, or a low-key toast at your neighborhood bar, D.C.'s LGBTQ nightlife offers no shortage of options. From ticketed blowouts to no-cover hangs, these venues are ready to toss 2025 out the window and welcome a hopefully brighter 2026 with sass and style.
The Atlantis
2047 9th St. NW
theatlantis.com
The Atlantis celebrates in New Year's Eve with an 18+ ticketed dance party. The DJ-driven celebration centers on ABBA, with plenty of additional disco favorites from the '70s and '80s -- including tracks by the Bee Gees, Donna Summer, and Cher. Festivities include a complimentary champagne toast at midnight, and disco attire is encouraged. Tickets are $68.40. The venue will be closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day.
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