Class Is In Session 

• Courtesy Photo

On a Saturday in mid-May, with the sun shining and the temperature sitting at a delightful 60-ish degrees, it seemed almost criminal to walk into a bar for an afternoon of day drinking—even if comfort food and a high amount of frivolity would be involved. But these are exactly the moments at which drag brunches can take place, in the middle of a perfectly gorgeous day. So we pointed the car towards Draper.

The drag brunch noted here was run by Gia Bianca Stephens, a full-time drag queen and the host/emcee of a promotion called The Quorum of the Queens. It's an event that takes place a time or two a month at a somewhat unlikely location, Leatherheads Sports Bar (12147 S. State Street) in Draper. For this Saturday afternoon showcase, The Quorum was held between the '80s hard rock act Enuff Z'Nuff on Friday night and a tribute to Motley Crüe on Saturday night. That green room saw a lot in one weekend.

Leatherheads, even after one visit, can be identified pretty obviously as a rock 'n' roll bar. The staff, the programming, the pub food ... all of it points to a certain kind of entertainment. Except when it doesn't.

Stephens runs this event with the help of Scott Alexander, her husband, who does a bit of everything before, during and after the show. He's taking your money before the show, or walking you through the steps for Venmo payment. He's behind the sound-and-light board, running 'em throughout the show, flawlessly. And, at some point, with dollar bills everywhere, he's onstage with a sack, bundling all those bills.

As central and essential as Alexander's role may be though, it's Stephens who's onstage from the show's start to the finish, busy at any moment. That might involve giving instructions to first-time drag attendees, needling her fellow performers, encouraging tips or doing shots with the day's birthday (and divorce) celebrants. All that, and done in high heels.

Stephens, we learned that day, transitioned from a life in corporate retail to this world, which takes place in all sorts of locales throughout the region. Stephens shows an evident talent at every component of the job, be that introducing fellow queens with the perfect amount of shade, lip-syncing the opening and closing numbers of each set, and engaging the audience. On this day, there were definitely some folks who knew their way around a drag show, while others needed a bit of encouragement. By the end of a two-hour, two-set show, an audience of really mixed-up attendees was partying together like old pals.

True, alcohol was involved. But so was bright daylight, which isn't exactly conducive to letting your hair down. With steady patter, a good flow to the show and a crowd that seemed completely receptive to having fun, Stephens proved an able host. She had the standard jokes down and worked the room with an improviser's touch, doing expert "crowd work," as comics and improv performers refer to it. As proof, even people who arrived late, sitting in the back of the bar and clearly not there for the show, wound up visiting the stage, dollars in hand. Stephens' title of Miss Beehive State in 2021 seems well-earned.

We tried—really, really tried—to grab a few words with Stephens for this piece, but a good time to talk never quite materialized. That said, Stephens is a top-flight performer, someone who can make a perfect afternoon even a tad bit better.

Quorum of the Queens is found on many weekends, at Leatherheads on Saturdays and The Tavernacle Social Club (50 W. 300 South) on Sundays. See the Quorum Facebook page for current bookings.