KARAOKE QUEEN

A Filipino American man dusts off his internet-famous drag queen persona to help save his ex’s karaoke bar.

Rex Araneta has a lot of desires: his former college boyfriend, fashion and drag, and a place to go for a damn good karaoke performance. By fate, those interests all converge when he realizes that Aaron Berry, the guy who got away, is the new manager at the Pink Unicorn, a failing gay bar in Oakland. To help breathe some energy into the place, Rex decides to revive his drag persona, Regina Moon Dee, a former viral sensation, to host a karaoke night. As the Pink Unicorn’s drag-hosted karaoke nights gain more and more attention, Rex worries about the potential fallout should he be exposed as Regina. Not only is he still healing from a long-held trauma and his father’s stark disapproval, but Aaron has been vocal about his own dislike of the drag scene. Thankfully, the romance is a bit of a bait and switch, as Rex begins to realize that his found family might contain a new love and that he doesn’t need to waste time pining for a man who only accepts half of him. More and more people get roped into covering up Rex’s secret identity, from his sister to his mom to the bar’s energetic and very cute DJ, Paolo; it’s only a matter of time before things come to a head. At its core, this is more a love letter to the drag community and to the theater and artistry of drag performance than a romance. The relationship blossoms slowly, is more sweet than sexy, and doesn’t quite feel like the focal point.

Funny and earnest, just like a perfect drag performance.