Drag Race France Live has transformed the famous television competition into a spectacular theatrical experience, combining outrageous costumes, powerful performances and a deliciously spooky storyline inspired by The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Currently playing at the Casino de Paris, the production brings together Nicky Doll and the queens of Drag Race France season four under the artistic direction of Thomas Jolly, the creative mind behind the opening and closing ceremonies of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
The result, according to enthusiastic French press reviews, is an extravagant mixture of cabaret, musical theatre, comedy and pure drag fabulousness.
And darling, apparently the queens have decided that simply serving looks wasn’t enough. They’re serving an entire haunted mansion.
Drag Race France Live Takes Over the Casino de Paris
Unlike the usual live tours built around individual performances, this fourth-season production introduces a theatrical storyline connecting the queens’ numbers.
Set inside an abandoned mansion once known as the Nicky Doll Palace, the show imagines a cabaret that has been closed by a mysterious character called Uncle Charles.
The venue has become a haunted place, with Nicky Doll attempting to break a curse, restore the palace and reclaim its former glory.
It is an imaginative setting that gives the performers an opportunity to explore darker, theatrical aesthetics while maintaining the humour and extravagance audiences expect from Drag Race.
The inspiration from The Rocky Horror Picture Show is particularly fitting.
That cult classic became an enduring symbol of camp performance and queer self-expression, and its influence can be felt in the idea of a glamorous theatrical world refusing to disappear.
Thomas Jolly Brings Olympic-Scale Theatricality to Drag Race France
The production’s artistic direction comes from Thomas Jolly, whose work includes the Paris 2024 Olympic ceremonies and acclaimed theatrical productions such as Starmania.
Working with Kevin Vivès and Samy Zerrouki, Jolly has developed a show that places greater emphasis on narrative, choreography and the relationship between performance and storytelling.
The cast includes the ten queens of season four: Azémylia, Créatine Price, Daisy Superbitch, Fluffy Bidule, Holly White, La Harpie, Lana Cotta, Malawitte, Margarette and Sublyme.
And what a deliciously chaotic collection of talent it is.
According to a review published by Le Monde, the production features a wide range of musical numbers, from dramatic lip-syncs to comic routines and elaborate theatrical sequences.
Créatine Price delivers a tenor performance of Summertime, while Azémylia showcases her dance and gymnastic abilities.
Margarette provides memorable comic moments, Daisy Superbitch appears in an elaborate spider-themed sequence, and La Harpie brings an unsettling visual spectacle to the stage.
It’s a line-up that demonstrates how drag can embrace radically different performance styles while remaining part of the same creative world.
Why Drag Race France Live Is More Than a Drag Show
One of the most interesting elements of the production is its underlying story about a theatrical venue being closed because its performances are considered provocative.
That fictional conflict gives the show an extra dimension at a time when drag performances, LGBTQ+ representation and artistic freedom continue to provoke political controversy in several countries.
The production does not abandon entertainment in favour of delivering a lengthy political lecture.
Instead, it uses spectacle, humour and fantasy to explore the idea that creativity cannot easily be suppressed.
That is a message deeply rooted in drag history.
From underground clubs to mainstream television, drag has repeatedly created spaces where performers could challenge expectations around gender, identity and beauty.
The enormous popularity of Drag Race demonstrates how far the art form has travelled, but its connection to artistic freedom remains important.
And sometimes the most effective response to attempts at silencing queer creativity is simply to put on an even bigger show.
Preferably with more wigs.
Nicky Doll and the Queens Bring Queer Theatre to a Wider Audience
Nicky Doll has become one of the most recognisable figures in French drag culture, helping bring the international Drag Race franchise to a new audience.
Her role in the live production connects the television competition with a more established theatrical tradition, demonstrating how drag performers can work across cabaret, dance, comedy and musical theatre.
For audiences familiar with the television series, the production offers an opportunity to see the queens in a different creative environment.
For newcomers, it provides a colourful introduction to drag as a multidisciplinary art form.
The show’s reception also highlights the growing confidence of French drag culture, with performers taking over major venues rather than being restricted to smaller nightlife spaces.
Of course, those smaller venues remain essential to the art form’s history and future.
But seeing drag celebrated on a prominent Parisian stage is undoubtedly a moment worth appreciating.
Where Can You See Drag Race France Live in 2026?
The production continues at the Casino de Paris until Saturday, 17 October, with performances scheduled for 16 and 17 October.
Following its Paris residency, the tour is expected to travel to other French cities, including Toulouse, Mérignac, Strasbourg, Lille, Tours, Nantes, Montpellier, Lyon and Marseille.
Audiences can find official performance information and ticketing details through the Casino de Paris website.
With its theatrical ambition, elaborate costumes and deliberately over-the-top storytelling, the production offers a reminder of just how inventive drag performance can be.
Drag Race France Live is serving horror, humour, glamour and enough theatrical chaos to make even the ghosts feel underdressed.
And as far as we’re concerned, that’s exactly the sort of haunting we can get behind.
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