Rupaul’s Drag Race fanatics may know some of Tina Burner’s story from the show’s 13th season, but that’s only a small glimpse into her life.
“The story you see on TV isn’t really my story,” Burner says. “That’s (Rupaul’s) Drag Race’s story. This is my story.”
Inspired by the ability to share her perspective, Burner paints herself in her own light in her show entitled Maybe This Time Live, coming to District West Sept. 12 and 13, where the self-proclaimed “legend with legs” tells her life story through arrangements of Broadway classics.
“I get to tell my own narrative,” Burner says. “People have an idea of who I am, but my strongest suit is when I can just perform in a show. Being able to build a show around me allows me to let people in more.”
The show features Burner at her rawest, with show tunes from all across the board which Burner feels encapsulate her life story.
“The stories the songs tell have to do with me, my family, coming out (and) my life that you don’t get to typically see,” she says.
The Tina Burner experience wouldn’t be complete without a little comedy. Burner never lets her fans down with her raunchy humor and this show is no exception. She’s able to get more personal than is seen on Rupaul’s Drag Race.
“You have to make fun of yourself first so that people are comfortable with you,” Burner says. “I’m definitely not afraid to make fun of myself.”
There’s more to Tina Burner than an outspoken, Tina Turner and Proud Mary-inspired queen. After 12 years of performing drag, she has most definitely gleaned some valuable lessons, both in the drag world and out.
“I am a stronger, more outspoken, more understanding person,” she says. “For any aspiring queens, I would tell them to not take life too seriously and to live in the moment.”
Megan Roth is an editorial assistant. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
