Drag Race Down Under star Anita Wigl’it’s outrageous ‘Gurl’ power
Star of RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under and nominee of New Zealand’s Television Personality of the Year 2022, Anita Wigl’it, is coming to Fringe World for the first time this summer with a kooky, hilarious tell-all one-woman show – Funny Gurl. Get down to The Parlour at Perth Cultural Centre from Friday, January 20 to Sunday, February 5 (get more info and tickets here) to join Anita on a journey back in time to 1989 when “a little boy with a big personality” was born, and witness them grow up into a glamorous Drag Queen through a series of life stories and anecdotes interspersed with dazzling performances. BRAYDEN EDWARDS spoke to Anita Wigl’it to find out more.
It’s great to have you in town for Fringe this summer. How long have you been planning to pay us a visit?
I have wanted to go to Perth for the longest time! I love Australia but have never visited Perth and it’s been on my list for ages! I have heard so many incredible things about Fringe World Festival and I am so excited to be a part of it!
Your show Funny Gurl takes a trip back in time to your childhood, what’s something you miss from that time, and something you definitely don’t?
I had a wonderful early childhood growing up in the UK and I really miss the little things like not having to worry about life, getting to plan sleepovers and that kind of thing. When I started High School I started to get bullied a lot and I definitely don’t miss this although I feel that life’s experiences, good and bad, shape you to become the person that you grow up to be… which is an extremely sexually attractive Drag Queen thank you for noticing!
Your arrival in WA comes after some high-profile appearances including on Ru Paul’s Drag Race Down Under. That must have been fun, but exhausting too! What was the most challenging, and rewarding part of being on the show?
I think that the whole thing is the most challenging. I spent a large portion of my life working in the Drag industry and then all of sudden I was getting judged about it, all while trying to be charming and fun at the same time. It was a fabulous whirlwind and I so enjoyed it. The most rewarding part is gaining fans from around the world. I am currently in the UK and people ask for photos on the street and seem so happy to see me, I feel like Barbra Streisand… only not nearly as talented!
I heard a joke you made while impersonating Queen Elizabeth was censored by the British press. That must have made you feel like an outlaw!
Yes! I’m a very naughty lady! I really enjoy being nice to people and try to make the world a better place by thinking kindly. This is lovely and all but the best thing about it is that it gives me a platform to be incredibly outrageous as no one sees it coming. Therefore to be censored by the BBC was part a shock because I want to spread good things in the world but also a massive honour!
How does it feel to be repping New Zealand drag internationally? What would you say is the biggest difference between an Aussie drag star and a Kiwi one?
I feel so blessed to get to do what I do on an international stage, it still feels surreal. I love Australian drag and find it so inspiring. Australian Drag definitely has a larger focus on the look and costume, hence magical moments like Priscilla – Queen of the Desert. In New Zealand we tend to be a little more paired back with our looks but make up the difference with our ridiculousness.
And how about you specifically? What’s something we’ll see at an Anita Wigl’it show that we’re not likely to see anywhere else?
I am 100% a stupid, ridiculous and outrageous Drag Queen and I love to be the person that never quite grew up. I’m also an open book so whereas others might skip the bad things I like to include them to give my audience an honest insight into my life and show them how I got to where I am today – which is incredibly sexy and delusional.
What’s next for you for the rest of the year? Anything exciting you, or your fans can look forward to?
This is shaping up to be my biggest year ever! I start the year in the UK for DragCon and then swiftly move into Australia for much of the first half of the year for my Funny Gurl seasons. After this I have some fabulous international adventures in the works and maybe some more television time…
