By Barrett White
“Four numbers in and we’ve already had a dildo and a 9/11 joke,” quips host and star entertainer Regina Blake-Dubois during the second-anniversary performance of The Broad’s Way, Houston’s only Broadway drag revue. At the Broad’s Way, the mood is always tongue-in-cheek and campy, like you hope to see at any drag show. But at Michael’s Outpost, the revue’s home stage, the performers bring more than kitsch comedy and silliness.
Ryan Barrett, the performer behind the Regina Blake-Dubois character, earned his bachelor of fine arts in stage management from the University of Houston. Originally from Plano, Texas, the tall beauty—in drag and out—certainly nails the wit and comedic timing necessary for any successful queen. During his time at UH, he became familiar with Dessie’s Drag Race, a popular local drag competition modeled after RuPaul’s iconic television show. At the time, Dessie’s was held at Michael’s Outpost—the prize was a four-week stint as the headliner of your own show.
Barrett began to wonder, “If I had a show, what would my shtick be?”
Naturally, as a trained theatre performer and technician, he introduced Regina Blake-Dubois, Houston’s new Broadway queen.
Ultimately, Regina competed in and won Dessie’s and was granted her four-week Broadway revue. This also happened to be the final year that Dessie’s was held at Michael’s Outpost (the competition has since relocated to Rich’s in Midtown), effectively freeing up the club for a new drag show. Rather than leaving after her wildly popular four-week stint, Regina stayed on at Michael’s Outpost to perform every Monday. Two years on, The Broad’s Way is still going strong.
The Broad’s Way is Houston’s only Broadway drag revue. Photo by Dani Benoit.
Since the inception of The Broad’s Way, Regina has had quite the career outside of the Outpost, too. She was crowned Miss Gay Texas America in 2018, the year following her impressive philanthropic efforts during Hurricane Harvey. While the unprecedented hurricane dumped a horrifying 51 inches of floodwaters on the city, Blake-Dubois, obviously unable to perform at Michael’s that night, took to the internet, hosting a live stream drag show from her living room, with her Venmo handle written in bold on a paper taped to the wall behind her. “I’ll keep going as long as people are watching,” she said during the live stream. The performance lasted for an incredible nine hours and raised $3,000. An additional show several days later lasted 12 hours and raised an additional $1,200. All tips were donated to Harvey relief and local LGBTQ charities. Local and national media picked up the story, which thrust her—and Houston’s drag scene—into the national spotlight.
By Regina’s side most Mondays is a fellow classically trained thespian, whose being is as captivating as his spirit. Wesley Whitson speaks carefully and intentionally, with a decidedly literary vocabulary and cadence. Perhaps it’s from all the Shakespeare he’s performed, both locally and in Europe with the Prague Shakespeare Company’s summer intensive program. If you think he sounds intimidating, think again—his spritely demeanor and kind smile are there to reassure you if ever you think he’s of another conversational league.
Oh, and he happens to be one hell of a performer.
Barrett and Whitson knew each other from college, where they both studied in the theatre program at UH. Three weeks into The Broad’s Way, Barrett asked Whitson to come aboard as a live singer (Regina, and most of the other queens at The Broad’s Way, lip-sync). “It was for [the theme] ‘Showstoppers,’” Whitson explains, as he recalls his first performance at The Broad’s Way. “I performed ‘Be Our Guest’ and ‘I Am What I Am’—Beauty and the Beast and La Cage aux Folles.”
Wesley Whitson performs at The Broad’s Way. Photo by Dani Benoit.
The Broad’s Way cast continued to rotate, but by month three of the new revue, Barrett was looking to create a permanent roster of performers. He invited Whitson back, along with fellow live singer Amanda Marie Parker (who, it must be mentioned, performed “Xanadu,” live and on roller skates, while collecting dollar tips from the packed seating space at the two-year anniversary performance).
Today, The Broad’s Way has progressed to being one of the most popular drag shows in Houston, thanks in no small part to Blake-Dubois’ lineups, stage presence, and community-centered philosophy. “I’ve been to so many queer spaces and performances where I felt interchangeable,” Barrett says. “Like if I left and someone took my place, it wouldn’t matter as long as they were still buying drinks, or were more attractive, or were a better dancer. That’s why I built this show on an art that allows us to have so much personal interaction with the audience—I want people to feel special, to feel seen.”
“We are all so much more alike than we are dissimilar, and I think that this is a venue where that has been shown over and over and over again,” Whitson adds.
As a revue, entertainers frequently perform musical numbers that were written for and traditionally performed by someone of a different gender. This, they feel, is one more thing that empowers the audience and queers the performance narrative.
Recalling a memorable performance of a number from Into the Woods, Whitson says, “I remember it being this cathartic, present moment. I knew in that moment that Regina was onto something special.”
You can find The Broad’s Way on Instagram at @the_broads_way. Regina Blake-Dubois and Wesley Whitson are also on Instagram, at @reginablakedubois and @slipperywhenwes.
What: The Broad’s Way, Houston’s Only Broadway Drag Revue
When: Every Monday at 9 p.m.
Where: Michael’s Outpost (1419 Richmond Avenue, Houston, Texas)
Details: The Broad’s Way is free and open to the public. For more information, visit facebook.com/TheBroadsWayHouston.
