Arts & Entertainment
‘Queer Eye’ star Antoni Porowski gets a drag makeover from Miz Cracker
The food expert opens up about his sexual fluidity
“Queer Eye” food expert Antoni Porowski received a special drag makeover courtesy of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” alum Miz Cracker on the YouTube channel for the LGBTQ publication Them.
Porowski, 35, admits that he’s only dressed up as a woman twice in his life. Once in middle school for Halloween and the second as Britney Spears when he and the rest of the Fab Five appeared on “Lip-Sync Battle.”
While Miz Cracker transforms Porowski into drag, the pair have an honest discussion about sexuality. Porowski shares that he never came out as gay to his family and friends but instead would simply introduce who he was dating at the time. He also says he identifies as sexually fluid because he has been in love with women and was in a relationship with a woman for six years.
He says “Queer Eye” producers assumed he was gay until he began discussing his past relationships with women on episodes of the show.
āIt was just assumed I was gay, even though that was never discussed during the chemistry testing and the whole audition process,ā Porowski says.
Porowski is currently dating Trace Lehnoff from Bravoās āFlipping Out.” The couple met on Instagram. Previously he dated Joey Krietemeyer, a director of creative services at a marketing company, for seven years.
After Porowski’s transformation, Miz Cracker names him Eva Cado, a play on Porowski’s love for avocados.
“My feminine side has always been internal with how I consider myself an emotional person, and to see those stereotypical things come up on the outside in my outward appearance, it feels very naked,ā Porowski says about his new look.
Watch below.
The DC Center for the LGBTQ Community, SMYAL and Rainbow Families sponsored Gay Day at the Zoo on Sunday at the Smithsonian National Zoo. The Smithsonian marked International Family Equality Day with special exhibits and an event space.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
Covering Gay Day at the Zoo for @WashBlade . Here at @NationalZooDC pic.twitter.com/LqgGNOOAiM
— Michael Patrick Key (@MichaelKeyWB) May 5, 2024
Photos
PHOTOS: Taste of Point
Annual fundraiser held for LGBTQ youth scholarship, mentorship organization
The Point Foundation held its annual Taste of Point fundraiser at Room & Board on May 2.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
Theater
Miss Kitty tackles classical mythology in āMetamorphosesā
Folger production seen through the lens of the African diaspora
āMetamorphosesā
May 7-June 16
Folger Theatre
201 East Capitol St., S.E.
$20-$84
Folger.edu
Miss Kittyās words are thoughtful and measured, occasionally punctuated by flamboyant flourishes and uplifting proclamations. Her tried and tested tagline is ālive in fierce not fear.āĀ
She describes herself as āAMAB (assigned male at birth), nonbinary, genderqueer, transfemmeā as well as āchanteuse, noble blacktress, and dancer.ā
Currently, Miss Kitty is testing her talents in Mary Zimmermanās āMetamorphosesā at Folger Theatre on Capitol Hill.
At 90 minutes, āMetamorphoses,ā is made up of interwoven vignettes from classical mythology including the tales of Midas and his daughter, Alcyone and Ceyx, and Eros and Psyche.
āItās all stories that relate to the human condition: the follies, the happiness, the love, the loss,ā Miss Kitty explains. āAnd a thorough knowledge of mythology isnāt a requirement for enjoyment.ā
The language is contemporary and with its 11-person ensemble cast ā comprised exclusively of Black or indigenous people of color ā theyāre adding their own spin to its present-day feel, she adds.
In Zimmermanās famously staged premiere production, the actors performed in and around a pool of water. At Folger, director Psalmayene 24 has ditched actual aquatics; instead, he suggests the element by introducing Water Nymph, a new character constructed around Miss Kitty.
Water Nymph doesnāt speak, but sheās very visible from the opening number and throughout the play on stage and popping up in unexpected places around the venue.
āItās a lot of dancing; I havenāt danced the way Tony Thomas is choreographing me in a very long time. At 40, can she still make theater with just my body as her instrument?
The name āMiss Kittyā was born over a decade ago.
Miss Kitty recalls, āShe was still presenting as male and going by her dead name. Someone commented that with the wig she was wearing for a part, she looked like Eartha Kitt whom she deeply admires.ā
Her penchant for illeism (referring to oneself in third person) isnāt without good reason. She explains, āItās to reiterate that however she might look, sheās always there; and if you misgender, she will let you know.ā
Initially, the moniker was a drag persona at Capital Pride or the occasional fabulous cabaret performance at a nightclub.
But as time passed, she realized that Miss Kitty was something she couldnāt take off. She had always been a part of her.
āSheās helped me to grow and flourish; sheās given me the strength that I never would have had before. Iām so proud of myself for realizing that before it was too late.ā
Bringing Miss Kitty into her theatrical career presented some concerns. Would theater folks be open to the new her, especially those sheād worked with before?
Not always, but sheās found new companies whoāve welcomed Miss Kitty with open arms including Avant Bard, Spooky Action Theater, and now Folger.
Last fall, Miss Kitty appeared in Spooky Actionās Agreste (Drylands), a stunning queer story penned by gay Brazilian playwright Newton Moreno.
After being invited to audition and reading the script, Miss Kitty was determined to be a part of the production.
A work dealing with love and being trans, and transphobia, and how people can turn on a dime once they learn the truth about someone, resonated deeply with the actor.
āThe play speaks to the idea that if people just let people be who they are and love who they want to love weād all be a lot happier,ā she says.
For her sublime efforts, Miss Kitty nabbed a Helen Hayes Award nomination in the Outstanding Lead Performer category (winner to be determined on Monday, May 20 during a ceremony at The Anthem).
Itās her first time nominated and first time attending. Sheās thrilled.
Miss Kitty grew up in Oxen Hill, Md., and now lives near Washington Harbor. Her entry into performance was through music followed by high school plays. She graduated from Catholic University with a degree in music/concentration in musical theater, and from there dove directly into showbiz.
Looking back, Miss Kitty says, ābeing a person of color AND queer can be a double whammy of difficulty. You have to live in light and do the things youāre afraid to do. Thatās the game changer.ā
Presenting āMetamorphosesā through the lens of the African diaspora (the cast also includes Jon Hudson Odom and Billie Krishawn, among others) helps us to realize that every story can be universal, especially for marginalized people ā South Asian, Native American, or fully queer perspectives, she says.
āHaving an all-Black ensemble opens all new worlds for everyone.ā