Seattle’s drag chanteuse is a cabaret star you have to see perform
The Seattle Cabaret Festival was started by the city's Drag Chanteuse and has become a yearly event drawing hundreds of fans.
It has been known as the Emerald City, Rain City, and Queen City throughout the last 150 years. But in the eyes of Arnaldo, Seattle’s much-beloved cabaret queen and drag chanteuse, it’s a town filled with a creative spirit and the site of the annual cabaret festival, sponsored by the Pacific Northwest Cabaret Association, an organization he founded in 2008.
It was Arnaldo’s vision all along, after all. It was the logical next step in his magical musical journey that started in his youth in the Philippines, immigration with his family to the Seattle area, and years of performing with the Seattle Men’s Chorus. His participation in Yale’s renowned International Cabaret Workshop in 2006 made it all a reality.
As he describes it, “Cabaret is the most welcoming and most inclusive form – it could be musical, dance, comedy, poetry, burlesque, jazz, etc. Cabaret welcomes everyone!” The success of this annual event is a testament to that philosophy, as is the participation and support from the area’s large LGBTQ+ community.
Pack your bags, we’re going on an adventure
Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for the best LGBTQ+ travel guides, stories, and more.
Subscribe to our Newsletter today
The son of an orthopedic surgeon, Arnaldo’s father helped save the life of former First Lady Imelda Marcos after a thwarted assassination attempt that severely injured her hand. She was so grateful that the following Christmas, her staff showed up at his family’s home with huge sacks of presents for the nine children, filled with rare food items, chocolates, dolls, and clothing, all hard to get for most Filipinos then.
“When we moved to Seattle, my aunt and cousin already knew I was gay and introduced me to the Seattle Men’s Chorus. When I was finally able to join the chorus in 1989, I learned so much about the LGBTQ+ community”, Arnaldo shared.
But a chorus retreat a few years later became the genesis of his most successful persona, the Drag Chanteuse. I did Madonna’s “Vogue” at the No Talent Show, and instead of Marie Antoinette, I came out as “Susie Wong,” and my two chorus friends were dressed in military garb. The Chorus loved it!”
“From then on, I was asked to perform as Carmen Miranda, Patsy Cline, Michael Jackson, Y2K bug, Princess White Dove, even a dreidel!” he recounts. But it was as Patsy Cline that I traveled the world: London’s Town Hall, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw for the Gay Games, Barcelona’s Palau de la Musica, Auckland’s Townhall, Sydney and Melbourne, Puerto Vallarta, Manila, and many cities in the US.”
In the next few years, Arnaldo worked with other performers from the chorus to perform Cabaret Q, a four-person ensemble featuring solo and group numbers, with Arnaldo and another performer in drag. After dozens of successful performances with that group, someone suggested he move on as a solo act.
As he describes it, “I loved to sing torch songs and American standards instead of pop songs and club music. So I combined the words “drag” and “chanteuse” as homage to the French, where cabaret originated. My friend suggested I add an exclamation point after my name to make it more dramatic. And I said ok and Arnaldo! Drag Chanteuse was born!”
“I came up with a tagline based on my experience discovering drag and how it opened my mind to the diversity of not just my own life, but those of Seattle’s LGBTQ community. I’m all about opening hearts and minds through music, one cabaret at a time.”
For the next several years in the early 2000’s, Arnaldo and his musical director did shows to packed audiences in Seattle, with holiday shows in Puerto Vallarta after his musical director relocated there with his partner. Arnaldo looked gorgeous in drag, but he could actually sing, unlike most others. He wanted to continue to grow as an artist and performer, and that’s when a trip to Yale in 2005 changed his life.
The International Cabaret Workshop at Yale was held annually, led by artistic director Erv Raible, a New York City-based director and talent representative. It was where the country’s top performers and up-and-coming singers would go to hone their craft and expand their range and repertoire.
“It was expensive, so I did a fundraiser to raise my tuition” according to Arnaldo. “Erv was at first skeptical to accept me and had to call me for an interview. I then had to submit a video for my audition”, he added. “I was the first drag performer they accepted and approved to perform at the recital at Yale.”
With Raible’s support and encouragement, Arnaldo debuted in New York City in 2007, earning the prestigious New York Bistro Award the following year.
Erv came to Seattle in 2006 to help Arnaldo establish the Pacific Northwest Cabaret Association. In 2008, they established a series of shows around the “March is Cabaret Month” theme, which morphed over the next 10 years into the Seattle Cabaret Festival today.
A festive opening night at Seattle’s famed Triple Door nightclub is followed by the 15-night festival, featuring close to 50 performers. Festival shows are held at Egan’s Ballard Jam House, a show pub just north of downtown Seattle.
This year’s opening night showcase is set for Saturday, April 25, with the festival continuing throughout May.
Join the GayCities newsletter for weekly updates on the best LGBTQ+ destinations and events—nearby and around the world.
What's Your Reaction?
