The last time I spoke to RuPaul’s Drag Race and musical theatre star Divina De Campo, it was 2022 and they were about to embark on playing the lead in the cult musical Hedwig And The Angry Inch in Leeds.
So on meeting again, my first question was: How was it? They told me: “It’s very rare to be given a chance to play a character that stretches you to your absolute limits – that’s what it did for me. She’s big, frenetic, slightly manic, with a huge stage presence. It allowed me to grow in ways which I didn’t know there were ways to grow.
“I see her as non-binary, though others might not. It was genuinely a joy: the reaction to it speaks for itself.”
I saw it in Leeds and it was an amazing tour de force and it really should have transferred to the West End. Moving on, Divina said they had been “crazy busy” since, including a long tour of a drag panto version of the Wizard of Oz.
“It was with three queens: an absolute joy, and I was the wizard. I’m in my drag king era – playing in SpongeBob and as the Emcee in Cabaret in St Moritz – I’ve not really played male characters much at all.”
Divina is now into podcasting big time, including their Stage Door series, and one which features drag queens. “I really like meeting people, finding out who they are, their journey – that’s what my podcasts focus on.”
Divina will be in Brighton on 28 April at the Komedia, with their new show I Do Think.
“We’re on this rock, flying through space for 40 years now. I’ve become known for saying I don’t think… but actually I DO think, read and listen about the world we’re living in. I’m a slow cooker; it takes me a long time to get my head round stuff. This show is about what you learn as you get older. We all get older but we feel young still. There is an age thing – although some people are just starting at 50.”
The show promises re-interpretations and re-writes, and a resume of what Divina has learned through the years. “I hope audiences have a gorgeous time, and forget themselves. I want a sense of community – what you can do for people around you. It’s very deep and very silly.”
Tickets HERE
