Workhorse Queen (2021) was written and directed by Angela Washko. It stars Mrs. Kasha Davis, who is a noted Rochester drag queen. (The "workhorse" word stems from how many drag queen events Kasha stages and how many she attends.)
Mrs. Davis is an iconic figure in the Rochester entertainment scene. The movie had many references to Rochester--Wegman's grocery, the restaurant Edibles, the JCC. Showing the movie in the iconic Dryden Theatre in the George Eastman Museum was a brilliant decision for ImageOut, the Rochester LGBT Film Festival. I enjoyed the movie, and I was particularly impressed by Mrs. Davis's presence for Q&A after the movie.
This film will work better on a large screen, but will do well enough on the small screen. It's worth seeing if you have any interest in, or curiosity about, drag queens.
Workhorse Queen
2021
Action / Documentary
Workhorse Queen
2021
Action / Documentary
Keywords: biographylgbtdrag queenfamous drag queen
Plot summary
By day, Ed Popil worked as the manager of a telemarketing center in post-industrial Rochester, New York for 18 years. By night, he transformed into drag queen Mrs. Kasha Davis. Not your average aspiring pop star drag queen, Mrs. Kasha Davis is a 1960's era housewife trying to liberate herself from domestic toil through performing at night in secret - an homage to Ed's own mother. After seven years of auditioning to compete on reality television show RuPaul's Drag Race, Ed Popil was finally cast onto the show and thrust into a full time entertainment career at the late age of 44. Workhorse Queen explores the complexities of mainstream television's impact on queer performance culture. In addition to following Ed's life and career before and after being cast onto RuPaul's Drag Race, the film focuses on the growing divide between members of a small town drag community - those who have been on television, and those who have not. Throughout the film, Ed Popil navigates the exciting highs and devastating lows of pursuing the fame promised by a reality television platform. With one foot inching toward Hollywood's doorstep and the other cemented firmly within her beloved Rochester community, Mrs. Kasha Davis finds a surprising new audience at home as she works toward becoming the queer role model for children that Ed didn't have and desperately wanted growing up.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
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Tech specs
720p.WEB 1080p.WEBMovie Reviews
Drag queen comes to the Dryden Theatre in Rochester!
Fantastic - honest, authentic, fun and empowering
Mrs Kasha Davis shines through with her honest, caring, empathetic and sincere ways. It's full of the fun, disappointing, inspiring and dynamic roller coaster that is life - but shows the resilience and perseverance that makes MKD unique and real. The sharing of family, friends and life is greatly presented by the filmmakers - the journey is exciting and the destination is not the end. More and better follows the perceived idea of getting there. Well done!!!!
Inspirational and heartfelt - the queen behind the veil
History shapes our present and informs our future - unless we have something to say about it! Mrs. Kasha Davis' story from beginnings to drag race stardom unveils a powerful truth on the deep layers of performativity we each carry along our lives. We all have a little Mrs. Kasha Davis in us - from celebrating the triumphs, to mourning the losses, to developing grit against life's challenges with grace and humility, Mrs. Kasha Davis showcases her growth, lessons learned, and magnificent passion (and talent) for making people smile. While there's always time for a cocktail, there's always time for more Mrs. Kasha Davis.