Now Reading
A Kiki with Kim Chi

A Kiki with Kim Chi

After the success of “Troop Beverly Heels” with Trixie Mattel last year, Peaches Christ Productions is now paying tribute to one of the queer community’s most beloved and iconic cult classics. Mean Gays, a hilariously irreverent live musical parody of the Lindsay Lohan and Tina Fey film Mean Girls, is currently touring the country and will be coming to Denver on Tuesday, March 5 with two performances at the Oriental Theater. Performances begin at 7:00 and 9:30 p.m.

Starring drag icons Kim Chi, Willam, Laganja Estranja and Peaches Christ, Mean Gays is the survival of the fiercest when Kimmy Chi, a home-schooled transfer student from South Korea, moves to an American high school ruled by drag queen girl gang The Plastics. Led by the terrifying Willam George and her ignorant, loyal followers Peaches “Swallows” Wieners and Laganja Smith, will Kimmy fit in with these mean gays?

Audience members are encouraged to deck themselves out in their pinkest attire and grab a drink at the Cool Mom bar in the lobby. Platinum VIP admission includes early seating, a complimentary drink ticket, an autographed show poster, a show lanyard, and a meet & greet with the cast. Tickets can be purchased online or at the Oriental Theatre box office: 4335 W 44th Ave, Denver, CO 80212.

I had the pleasure of chatting more with Kim Chi about the upcoming performance and her overall experience with Mean Gays. 

Kim, thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me today. Let’s start off by chatting more about Mean Gays. Can you give us a little more info as to what the show is about?
Mean Girls is such a cult classic, especially among gay people, so Peaches Christ created this show and put her own spin to it. There is a lot of pop culture humor that is reverent to the times we are living in now, and it is just overall a fun show. There are some lip sync numbers, some live singing numbers, some dance numbers, and a lot of comedy.

Why do you think Mean Girls is such a popular movie within the queer community?
I feel like every generation has their version of mean girls. Teenagers who grew up in the 80s had the Heathers and teenagers in the 90s had Clueless. For millennials, Mean Girls is our version of that.

How did you originally get involved with this project?
Peaches reached out to me and asked if I would like to do this, and I was like, ‘Oh my God, I have been dying to work with Peaches,’ and Mean Girls is one of my favorite movies of all time, so this was just perfect, and it just went on from there.

What is it like to work with Peaches, Willam, and Laganja Estranja?
I was initially very nervous going into this, because I have never done any theatre acting projects, and I know Peaches has done this for years. She is also a legend. After working with her, she is so kind and so sweet, and she is very nurturing of new talent.

It’s almost like she’s like the mom, so even if there’s something you are not confident with, she encourages you, and she will nurture you in a way that will make you feel confident. She is the best mentor I could have ever had for this project. And Willam and Laganja have also been dreams to work with. They are both very professional and on time, and they both channel their roles so well. Willam is Regina George, and Laganja is Karen Smith to the bone. When audiences come and see the show, they will really see these characters come to life.

Do you think you’ll do more theatre work in the future?
If Peaches wants me back, I will definitely do it!

Mean Gays has already had a couple performances. How have they gone, and how were they received by audiences?
I think they went pretty well. We got a lot of laughs. Peaches pulled all of us together after the first show and went over what worked and what we needed to amplify.

It sounds like this show has been such a great experience for you.
Of course! I am having so much fun; I almost don’t want it to end.

How would you say you personally relate to your character, Kimmy Chi?
Hmm, this is a tough question. I guess I’m like Cady Heron/Kimmy Chi because she gets thrown into a new environment and she discovers a new identity within herself, and I guess that is kind of similar to the experience I went through.

I went to elementary school in Korea and then moved over here to America. Even though I was born in America, I still had to like learn a whole new language and a whole new culture. From that point on, I still had to discover myself, my gay identity, and then eventually finding my voice in the drag community. So, I guess that is how I personally relate to my character.

And you would say Drag Race helped find your voice?
Definitely.

Speaking of Drag Race, what were your thoughts on the most recent season of All Stars?
Um, the thing is, Drag Race has been one of my favorite shows, and I love Drag Race, but I didn’t watch like the past four episodes. Again, I love Drag Race so much, there have just been so many episodes. I am sure I’ll watch it eventually, but I just don’t feel the need to at this moment.

Well, even though you haven’t watched the episodes, we all know who won. Do you think Ru should have crowned two winners?
It’s kind of hard for me to say, because I didn’t watch the episodes, so I don’t know how the performances were, but I am happy for Monet and Trinity. I have worked with both of them many times, and I think both of them are very professional queens. The way I see it, if World of Wonder wants to hand out more money to the queens, kudos to them. Queens, you get your money. Collect your coins.

Will we be seeing you on a future season of All Stars?
You’ll have to see!

What do you think about the season 11 queens? Anyone in particular you are rooting for?
I have been a fan of Nina West’s work for such a long time. I think she is phenomenal, and when I’ve worked with her, she is an absolute sweetheart. I also love Plastique Tiara. She is such a sweetheart, and she is such an amazing performer. And Brooklyn Heights. If you have never seen her live, oh my God, she is amazing!

After Mean Gays, what is next for you? Any upcoming projects we should be on the lookout for?
So, after Mean Gays, I have Werk the World tour, which will be traveling in Europe and also touring in North America in September and October. Then I have Pride events going on, and I also launched my own face mask which is now being sold at Nordstrom, Ulta, and Riley Rose.

What's Your Reaction?
Excited
0
Happy
0
In Love
0
Not Sure
0
Silly
0
Scroll To Top