Underneath the bright lights of the stage every Wednesday in March and April, audiences can experience the 5th season of Chi Chi's "Just a Little Drag," a competition presented by Club One, a staple in Savannah's LGBTQ+ community.
“Just a Little Drag” was started in 2021 by beloved glamorous Club One drag queen Chi Chi Bonet Sherrington. She also serves as the host and producer of the two-month-long competition. Brandon Thompson is the man behind Chi Chi, and he has been performing in this persona for over a decade.
“For me, drag was a way for me to become a little more confident in myself. I did not have the most confidence as a young adult,” said Chi Chi. “Then I started dressing more like what they call a femme queen. And from there, I started doing shows and getting on the stage, and it became quite addictive.”
Chi Chi immersed herself in the world and created a name for herself over the years since 2009, performing in many cities around the country and earning the crown of Miss Savannah Pride 2014. Additionally, Chi Chi is in control of her brand. She mixes her own songs, designs and creates her outfits, and produces all of her marketing materials.
“I decided that doing shows was something that I wanted to do on a consistent basis; the goal was always to work at Club One because Club One was the only place in town that employed drag queens at the time,” said Chi Chi.
Club One is the place to experience some of the best drag shows and performances you will see in this area, with many of the queens earning titles in various pageants around the country.
“I feel like sometimes a lot of people come to Club One thinking they'll see a RuPaul-type drag, and nothing is wrong with that. I think RuPaul has done an amazing job; however, when you do come to Club One, you never know exactly what to expect, and that's what I enjoy,” said Chi Chi.
Club One was also the place where The Lady Chablis frequently performed. She became notable in the early 1990s when she was featured in John Berendt’s book “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,” based on a true crime story.
Paving the way for new performers to come and create art through drag, Chi Chi’s “Just a Little Drag” competition was born out of a conversation Chi Chi was having with her protégés she refers to as her "gay children." During the discussion, they talked about the need for new and underrepresented entertainers to show off their talent.
“I know Club One had the annual Star Search. However, I've always wanted to have my own night at the club where I could bring certain themes or certain aspects of what I like about drag into a night at Club One,” said Chi Chi.
The competition has done just that over the past five seasons. The competition features several weeks of themed performances in which queens, kings, and performers of all kinds strut their stuff and give it their all in unique, homemade costumes and makeup looks.
“Our competition has given people an open eye to different forms of drag. Often, we get caught up in what we see on TV or what we're used to seeing in drag, but there are some alternative types of drag that are still valid and still need to be seen,” said Chi Chi.
The themes throughout the weeks of the competition this season will range from disco fever, show us your drag, night of a thousand popstar impersonations, horror night, boxo fabric, and Billboard Hot 100, leading up to the last performance where contestants will revise their original performance.
“We've sat down as a group and come up with these themes, which are designed to help build an entertainer and to help force an entertainer to do certain things they might not have done without the competition,” she said.
Chi Chi credits her "gay children," Miss Savannah Pride 2022 Sallie Just Sallie, Club One’s 1st Annual Star Search Winner (2017) Carmen iCandy, and Miss Savannah Pride 2023 Malcriada, for having a huge impact on the growth and success of the competition.
“They have played a major role in making sure we have themes together, making sure the initial idea was clear and set, and when I didn’t think this would be very successful, they pushed me and said you can do this and it will be ok,” said Chi Chi.
In addition Chi Chi credits the venue, Club One, who has been hosting the event since it started and Blair Williams, show director at Club One and a former Miss Gay America. Williams has been a consistent judge of the competition from the start.
Though it is a competition, it is also a learning ground for collaboration among the producers, judges, and contestants. It is a space where Chi Chi hopes contestants use this platform to amplify their profiles as artists. “Solidify yourself first. Make sure you get to know everyone in the city. Make sure you get to know people in the queer and straight communities. Make sure you build your confidence. Look at some of the examples of some of the people that have done amazingly throughout this city creating their own spaces,” she said.
When the lights are on and the music is up, it is more than just the judges the contestants are pulling out all the stops for; it is really the audience, full of people cheering them on, regardless if they know the contestant or not.
“While I'm performing, I feed off the audience's reaction. I want that energy, whether it's positivity, sadness, anger, or whatever I'm feeling. I want the audience to feel the same thing I'm feeling. I want them to see that drag is a whole art form. It's artistry at its finest,” said Chi Chi.
Previous seasons of Chi Chi’s “Just A Little Drag” can be viewed on her Facebook page, and more information about the current season, which happens every Wednesday in March and April, can be found at clubone-online.com.
