“Deejay! Deejay! Cut the music!” shouted drag queen Devion Mornett as she waved her arm. A young entertainer in the midst of a ballerina twirl slowed to a stop, and then sheepishly sat on the edge of the stage, bracing herself. “Come over here so I can talk to you,” Mornett says firmly, with the soulful manner of a southern grandmother. “What did we tell you last week? Lips and jewelry.” After a stern talking to about not being prepared, Mornett sends the performer backstage, where a member of her drag house sees to it that the performer’s shortcomings are remedied before she reappears and resumes her number to warm applause.
Each Thursday night, a remarkably diverse cast of aspiring entertainers arrives at Grey Fox Pub (3503 S. Spring Ave.) for emcee Janessa Markstone-Mornett Highland’s “Quest for the Best.” And they’re hungry for exactly this type of tough love.
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Tough love runs in the family. The “Markstone-Mornett” in Highland’s name represents her two drag mothers, Alicia Markstone, who is also a judge, and Mornett. When Highland first met Markstone in 2017 and asked for feedback, the response was, “May I be honest? Your makeup is horrible.” And when a young and cocky Highland, freshly crowned Mr. Gay Springfield 2010, confidently said to show director Mornett, “Looking forward to my booking,” Mornett replied, “Over my dead body.”
Mornett told the aspiring performer she needed to show up for her weeknight rehearsals. “I was so offended!” Highland recalls. “But I showed up.”
Today the three, along with performer Mimi VanCartier, live at Highland’s “Drag Embassy” on South Grand, which, along with Highland’s Little Bevo, is the epicenter of the rising drag dynasty. A dynasty which is growing, in part, due to the talent discovered on Thursday nights.
“I actually had a friend who knew about Quest for the Best and planned on doing the show. They hit me up like, ‘Hey girl, Janessa giving away some coin for the talent contest. You should do it,’” says Antonio Crawford, 26, who performs under the stage name Babyface Chanel and won on his first night. “So, me being me, I went. And what I gained was so much more than $150. It was the chance to be seen as a true artist and performer. I have a story to tell.”
After the win, “Babyface,” as he’s called at Grey Fox, was offered a weekly booking at the show, a touring opportunity, and costuming by Alicia Markstone. “As for what I’ve benefited from it,” he says, “I’ve been given a plethora of opportunities from the Markstone and Highland legacies.”
In society in general, and perhaps in the LGBTQIA+ community more than anywhere else, criticism is out and affirmation is in, so the critiques sometimes stun the emotionally invested audiences, who can be nearly as entertaining as the performers themselves. Highland’s oft-repeated mantra, however, is “We aren’t saying anything the other queens aren’t saying behind your back. We just tell it to you directly so you can improve.”
And unlike the worst of the American Idol auditions, for instance, the spirit is never exploitative or dismissive. The message is never that a performer is unworthy, but that they can and should perfect their craft, and the show offers roadmaps, backstage makeup and costuming tutorials, and even wardrobes to assist them in doing so. For performers who make repeat appearances, including the interrupted ballerina, the progress is evident.
There are also times when there’s nothing but praise, as was the case when Briah Paige, a Black woman performing drag as a woman—sometimes referred to as an “AFAB” performer for “assigned female at birth”—made her debut appearance. For older audiences especially, drag is synonymous with “female impersonation,” so AFAB performers are often not given the same respect as their traditional counterparts.
“You are a gift, and I am a reflection of that gift,” began Mornett after the performance, overcome with emotion. “You represent the mothers, the sisters, the aunts that all want to entertain but just can’t find the time. I am who I am because you inspired me. As a Black man I am so proud to watch a woman of color come in and shut it down.” Paige, sitting on a barstool on stage and clutching her chest as tears ran down her face, clearly felt Mornett’s words in her soul, as did the audience.
Beyond the scrappy old walls of the Grey Fox, the local drag community has recognized and been incredibly supportive of Quest for the Best. When Highland began the competition in January of this year, Prism’s Thursday talent night was splitting contestants and audiences. After a request from Highland, Jade Sinclair graciously moved their talent night, Rising Stars, to Sunday. And Victoria Rose, owner of drag hot spot Rehab St. Louis, donated dozens of costumes for the performers.
When you step into the drag cabaret for Quest for the Best, you come to know and care for these performers, witnessing them at their most vulnerable, and seeing them evolve before your eyes. There are those awestruck by the talent, and sometimes, you witness the birth of a star. It can feel as powerful as church, with critiques akin to a baptism by fire.
