Drag queens pageant rings in holidays

From left, Jaime Pardo, Ken Ansloan, Bradd Howard, Stacia Segovia and AJ Carian star in “Miss Mary Christmas” put on by The Dolls.

Albuquerque’s drag troupe The Dolls has become well known for its annual Christmas shows. But this year is a little bit different. Rather than the legendary celebrity-filled Christmas shows, the group is giving its fans a glimpse into the backstage shenanigans at a local drag show contest with “Miss Mary Christmas.”

The play was written by Ken Ansloan, who plays Tequila Mockingbyrd. It follows four Albuquerque drag queens as they vie for the coveted title of “Miss Merry Christmas 2012.” The play also stars Jaime Pardo, Bradd Howard, Stacia Segovia and AJ Carian. It is directed by Howard.

Ansloan says the play takes a behind-the-scenes look at the Christmas drag pageant.

	‘Miss Mary Christmas’ WHEN: 8 tonight and Saturday, Dec. 8; 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 9. Repeats Dec. 14-16 and Dec. 21-23 WHERE: Aux Dog Theatre, 3011 Monte Vista NE HOW MUCH: $15 at info@auxdog.com or 254-7716

He says the idea for the show began when a friend mentioned he was going to post a “heard-behind-the-scenes” type of blog surrounding The Dolls.

“Then it was suggested that I should do a show like that,” he says. “And then I thought about making it a Christmas drag pageant.”

With the idea in hand, Ansloan began writing in September. But while he was writing, Ansloan says he felt pressure to make the play more original.

“We became famous around town for our Christmas shows,” he explains. “Those shows have always been well received. So there was the pressure of upping the ante from the last show. And there was the pressure of creating something so different from what we’re known for.”

Ansloan says it became challenging to rework some of the Christmas classics.

“There are only so many avenues that you go down,” he says. “It started to become difficult, so we took the time to look for original ideas. When we got this idea nailed down, I began to look through my Facebook feed over the past year and searched for some of the actual events that happened to us during our shows.”

Ansloan says “Miss Mary Christmas” is a well-rounded piece of work. In addition to laughs and slapstick comedy, the characters deal with real-life issues.

“There’s drama in that the play addresses many of the issues that face the gay community,” he says.