An Interview With Delighted Tobehere

Tickets are on sale now for HELLO DADDY! Featuring Delighted Tobehere!

Every performer is a two-sided coin - the glowing, delightful side you see on the outside, and the one on the inside who is longing for genuine connection. Come see DELIGHTED TOBEHERE, a world-traveling Drag Queen who will sing live and make you think, cry and laugh your a*% off all in one night. Special engagement - TWO NIGHTS ONLY June 4th & 5th.

Grab your tickets for Hello Daddy! here: https://app.arts-people.com/index.php?show=124194

We reached out to Delighted Tobehere about her upcoming show, favorite costumes, pre-show rituals and more!

1. What inspired you to create Hello Daddy?

My love of Broadway and a mid-drag-life-crisis! In February I celebrated 20 years of drag and I wanted to honor it with my biggest show to date. The show celebrates my love of drag while also delving deep into the psyche of the man behind the makeup - devotion, artistry, and jealousy. I've created my best attempt yet at a show that fulfills the purpose of theatre - entertain the audience and provide therapy for the artist! LOL!

2. Do you have a favorite costume (past or present), and what about it sticks with you?

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Currently one of my favorites is a Cher costume built for DIVARIETY - a vaudeville style celebrity illusion show which co-star's the fabulous Gigi Monroe. Not only is it fabulous with incredible attention to detail by incredible costume designer, Pendragon Design Studios (Charlotte, NC), but it's one of my favorite memories working with Deana. I can just see her face and hear the tone in her voice when she asked "So...you want a Bob Mackie replica...when? and with YOUR budget?" After gathering herself from the ensuing laugher, she managed to create magic. So grateful to be able to partner with such a remarkably talented person. If you see me on stage, I'm in PDS couture. I might be the present, but PDS does the gift wrapping!

3. What's your favorite line or moment in this show? Why?

Though this show is 97% scripted, I'm a huge fan of the impromptu improv moments with the audience. I can do this show a hundred times, but those magical moments keep the show fresh for me - a reminder that with live theatre we all get to experience something unique together - a moment memorable because of its fleeting nature. That's everything for me.

4. Do you have any pre- or post-show rituals or practices, and if so, what are they?

I wear a pair of bedroom slippers while I'm stretching and getting painted that are silver sequin, but if you brush them the other way they become rainbow sequins! Reminder: In the books Dorothy's slippers were silver! They only chose red for the movie so they'd get to show off the abilities of Technicolor!

5. What are the biggest challenges of having to travel with your show?

The luggage! This show weighs about 175 lbs - including props and over ten costume changes. Lugging that around is why they call it "drag!"

6. What makes this experience special for you?

The production team! My intern from Clemson University, Austin Wilson, and I set out to write a show that was unlike anything else I've ever done. Which led to creating a score arranged by the Billboard chart topping classical musician, Blake Allen, and his team of instrumentalists and vocalists to record all of the backing tracks. Deana Pendragon of Pendragon Design Studios creating all of the costumes. Gigi Monroe Designs building all of the wigs. Sean Arkin and his fabulous graphic design for the poster. And I got to work with the illustrious Katie Jones who stepped in as a director consultant for the show! It takes a village, y'all!

7. How did you get into performing?

Picture it, Sicily, 1943. Or...Atlanta, GA, 2001. I was the third wheel on a blind date (there to make sure my friend had an escape plan if the date went south.) The date was at a camp drag show - something I'd never seen before. Comedy drag queens with goatees, hairy chests, and balloon boobs, all there performing to raise money for HIV/AIDS charities. It was this combination of philanthropy and entertainment that drew me in and a hobby turned into a part time job that turned into a full time career - and the rest is herstory.

8. How is working with The Magnetic different from working with other theatres/ bars/ performance venues?

Well...at some venues you arrive to find out that the sound and light tech happens to be the bartender. At The Magnetic, I've been blessed to work in a devoted theatrical space with talented professionals who care about the experience of the artist as well as the audience. A class act.

9. Do you have any upcoming projects that we should check out?

I hope to tour Hello, Daddy! for the rest of the year, and during that time I'll be creating my 2022 show. After 2020, it's just so great to be able to perform again with a live audience! I am proud to partner with The Magnetic for their responsible efforts to bring back live performance safely. As far as upcoming shows go? Follow my social media - @queendelighted on everything from Instagram to Venmo - and my website www.ImDelightedTobehere.com!

Biography for Delighted Tobehere

Delighted Tobehere’s entertainment career began February 2001 where she performed alongside The Armorettes - "The Infamous Camp Drag Queens of the South" - in the legendary nightclub Backstreet Atlanta. Since her momentous first performance, she has been a tour de force in the drag scene both on-stage and behind the scenes.

Delighted Tobehere was named as one of the funniest drag queens in America by the Huffington Post, and the internationally celebrated comedian Pam Ann says that she is “hysterical!”

In 2015, Delighted debuted on NBC's America's Got Talent to rave reviews and 4 Yes votes from the judges: "I loved the entire performance" - Howard Stern, and "[Delighted] just became the first country music dragstar!" - Howie Mandel.

A self described "Queen of all Trades," Delighted combines celebrity illusion, vocal impressions, live vocals, lip sync, comedy, intelligence, and quick wit to wow audiences from corporate functions to pride festivals.

Delighted’s feature celebrity illusion is none other than Adele. London’s QX Magazine says that her impersonation is “something that has to be seen to be believed!” and Boy George said that it was “perfection!”

It’s not just about laughter. Anyone who has attended Delighted’s shows in the last few years, seen her TEDx talk, heard her speak at a university campus, or been an invited guest at one of her lectures has experienced what she considers her personal mission: “Encouraging self-discovery and acceptance of others through the lens of drag through laughter and thought provoking entertainment.”

Delighted continues to hear from those attending her shows, lectures, and speaking engagements who found clarity when their world was out of focus. Often they report having had revelations and “ah-ha” moments on how they view themselves and the world.

Hailing from the Carolinas, her southern upbringing lends a charm to her performances that makes everyone feel comfortable and welcomed, even in her new home of New York City! Within her first two months of living in The Big Apple, Delighted won the titles of "New York's Best In Drag” and a live singing drag queen competition called "Sing, Queen!," as well as securing weekly residencies at local nightclubs. She has performed over 100 shows in both London and LA and travels extensively across the nation.

Delighted was featured in the New York Times for her work as a top Broadway style live singing drag queen, and she has also performed two solo cabaret shows - High Heels and Low Notes, and Broadway Life Hacks - at New York City’s legendary Feinstein’s/54 Below, a cabaret space in the basement of the famed Studio 54.

In 2016, Delighted formed a relationship with Act II Stages in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, performing her live singing one-woman shows annually in residency in their Red Room Cabaret.

In 2017, Delighted created Delighted’s Drag Brunch and Dinner at Cafe and Then Some in Greenville, SC. She is the producer and host of this regular event that features local talent paired with renowned national and international entertainers.

In 2019, Delighted partnered with Brand g Vacations to entertain on select trips, with her debut performance on their Danube River cruise from Budapest, Hungary to Bucharest, Romania.

Delighted is currently touring her 20th anniversary show, HELLO, DADDY! and her selection of one-woman live singing cabarets across the world. Some of the shows are She Haw, DRAG 101, DIVARIETY (with co-star Gigi Monroe), and Simply Delighted.

You can follow Delighted Tobehere on social media @QueenDelighted (IG, Twitter, YouTube) and Like her on Facebook! You’ll be DELIGHTED you did!

Hello Daddy! shows June 4th & 5th. Grab your tickets here: https://app.arts-people.com/index.php?show=124194