O Bar last night was great, as usual. We had a good group of friends with us and the show was awesome. And we got to reconnect with a queen who hadn't performed at the bar in quite a while.
With the looming start of a new season of Drag Race Philippines, it will inevitably mean changes at the bar as well. Once the season officially starts, those O Divas who are part of the cast will be busy with different media events and watch parties that we'll no longer see them regularly on the O Bar stage. And even once the show wraps, it'll still mean not seeing them at the bar as often. That's the bittersweet aspect of the franchise coming to the Philippines - we've been steadily "losing" queens as they move on to other opportunities after the show. Of course, we're totally proud of their accomplishments and happy that more people outside O Bar come to appreciate their talents.
This is not our first rodeo - it is the third season of the show after all. But I won't lie - part of me is always going to wish things didn't have to go this way because many of the O Divas we've gotten to know over the years have become very close friends - practically family even. And it sucks that because of the show, we end up seeing them less, assuming they come back to perform at O at all. And yes, we can try to go chase their public events here and there, but it also feels weird because it's not O Bar. and that may not sound all that logical, but that's how we feel about it. And a big part of this sense of family involves the bar itself and not just individual performers.
My relationship with O Bar began around the time my relationship with Tobie began - because he brought me to O Bar Malate for the very first time. It's kind of crazy to consider that some of the performers and even the staff date back to the Malate branch all those years ago. We've been around almost as long as the bar has been around and we've had the opportunity to witness a lot of transitions and transformations for the bar. This includes things like the shifts from Malate then to the different Ortigas locations, and the changes in the roster of drag queens, backup dancers, ledge dancers, and other artists and entertainers who have graced the O Bar stage. All that aside, the bar has a crazy track record for how long they've managed to retain a lot of people and I think any company would envy that kind of dedication and loyalty.
And while we're ultimately "just" patrons as well, I'd like to think that we also invest that kind of loyalty and dedication through our continued patronage. We don't go out for the sake of drinking nor is our goal ever about getting drunk. We go for the show and nightly O Bar productions are the direct result of a good number of things ranging from the individual artists, the choreographers who figure out what to do, the staff who support with lighting and sound support, and the other backstage magic like costumes, wigs, makeup, and additional support for whatever gimmick the arrange for a particular number. Every O Bar show is a full production and the result of so many talented people coming together and investing a LOT of hard work to create magic on stage. And brilliance of what they manage to create on stage is what has us coming back time and time again and it's why we don't go anywhere else beyond actual theater productions. And that's how we look at O Bar - like a theater-level experience that's a lot more accessible.
Anyway, I'm just feeling all nostalgic and introspective with the inevitable changes coming to O Bar in the next few weeks. We already have a lot of queens out of circulation because they're in the US for DragCon while others have other professional commitments coming up. And the new season starts in August, which is my birthday month, so I know this is going to me that a lot of the queens we're closer to aren't going to be around when I celebrate my birthday at the bar. But it can't be helped - there are a lot of new opportunities for them to take advantage of as more doors open and of course, I want them to be successful.
We'll keep going to O Bar because new talent is going to come along and maybe we'll make new friends and continue to expand our extended O Bar family. That's what we've been doing time and time again over the past 15 years and we have no plans of wavering in our commitment any time soon.
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