The Little Pageant That Could is a compelling new documentary on how a few friends in West Hollywood spontaneously got together in the middle of the AIDS Crisis to help the community survive the pandemic in the best way it could . And that was by creating L.A.’s Best in Drag Show which started as a spur-of-the-moment spoof of Miss America thrown by a few twenty-something friends in a tiny West Hollywood apartment in 1990, that grew to become L.A.’s longest-running drag benefit that would end up raising over $6 million to help those living with HIV/AIDS. It was at a time when people with AIDS were abandoned by society, politicians, and even their own families. But it was also one of the first times in the burgeoning queer community”s history that we used power, passion and energy to take charge of our own destiny .
Now in 2024 when legislation is being passed to restrict the art form, this film bears witness to the power of drag to make a meaningful – and desperately needed – contribution to society.
The Little Pageant That Could is directed by John Carlos Frey, who also served as the stage show’s original director and he has included a wealth of outrageously funny, never-before-seen footage spanning the pageant’s 33-year history. Its not just an inspiring story about the power of drag,, but a tribute to all those men (and women) who were selfless motivated to help those in our community live as long as they could and with dignity.
Frey has said “Those that choose to criminalize this sacred form of queer expression should be the first to line up and watch The Little Pageant That Could, and maybe they would find that drag saves lives and heals hearts.”
The documentary has been produced by World of Wonder who are the producing company behind Ru Paul’s Drag Race.
On the eve of the movie’s premiere at Provincetown Film Festival QUEERGURU got to talk with director John Carlos Frey about the film, and the story behind it …… and also asked him to refund the 2 boxes of tissues my husband and I got through when we watched the doc.
