Expect the Fabulous, Says British Drag Superstar Juno Birch about her US Tour

"Imagine 'Rocky Horror' meets 'The Muppets'" – that's the way British drag superstar Juno Birch describes "The Juno Show," which is currently touring the US with a stop at Boston's The Wilbur on July 31.

The tour runs through August 31st. Upcoming cities include Toronto, Buffalo, New York City, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Charlotte, Atlanta, Houston, San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Vancouver, and Seattle. For more information, follow this link.

"The show is going to be complete chaos, and people who know me will kind of know what to expect with how strange I like things to be – I may be dressed as a lobster, I may be throwing a baby doll down the stairs, and I may be wheeled on in a pink sofa. It's going to be fabulous," Juno told the British publication MyLondon this spring.

The British-born Juno is relatively newby to drag, having discovered her persona in 2018 from her work as a sculpture artist in which she created alien women miniatures with beehive hairstyles and cat-eyed glasses. When she applied that look to herself, she was the epitome of 1960s suburban chic – but with a difference: Her blue skin suggested she was an alien out of a Tim Burton movie. "Birch's mid-century modern take is one of misplaced glamour; her origin story has her dropped on Earth in an eternal 1962, where she immediately adopts a kitchen-chic kitsch vibe, complete with cow-print aprons and turquoise rubber gloves with the nails painted blood red," describes Paper Magazine.

She described her distinctive drag style to PopBuzz as being a "confused alien being who has fallen down onto the earth... trying to disguise myself among the human race."

Some have compared Juno to Jennifer Coolidge with a North British accent, which these days is high praise. Though only performing for a few years, she has more than 625,000 Instagram followers and over 31 million views on YouTube.

EDGE spoke to Juno, one of the few drag superstars to have found an international audience without "RuPaul's Drag Race," about her inspirations, her look, and what to expect from "The Juno Show."

EDGE: Tell us about your journey from your hometown of Frodsham?

Juno Birch: I grew up in Frodsham and Runcorn. Dad was in Frodsham, and mom was in Runcorn. Both cities are counties of Cheshire, England.

I always wanted to be on the stage and be an actor. In university, I started getting involved in film. I lived in London for a bit, left university, and then I was attention starved. I needed to be a drag queen, so I became a drag queen and moved to Manchester.

EDGE: What inspired you to pursue drag?

Juno Birch: Drag wasn't really something that I originally set out to do. I've always been a drawer and sculptor, so I was creating sculptures and illustrations. I wanted to be the artwork that I was creating on stage, so that's kind of how my drag developed.

EDGE: Tell us about your retro-futuristic alien look?

Juno Birch: The image first surfaced when I was in university. I really wanted to make a short film, so I wrote about a little boy who goes to a hair salon with his mom in the 1960s, and he's convinced that all the women in the salon are aliens in disguise. This belief was because so many parts of the 1960s salons and fashions really fit with the idea of an alien hiding underneath all those rollers and the massive hairdryers. That is how I got the idea for my drag character; since I never did the movie, I brought her to life for the stage.

EDGE: This is your second tour, so how does "The Juno Show" differ from your last tour, "Attack of the Stunning?"

Juno Birch: It differs in so many ways. Last year was my first tour, so I was performing in a lot of bars and music venues. It was very rowdy and very lip sync heavy. This show is more like a theater.

EDGE: What can fans expect from the show in terms of performance?

Juno Birch: This show has singing, dancing, and standup comedy. It's mainly a standup comedy show, but with some songs thrown in. We've got backup dancers and puppetry. I'm just so excited to do it, because I wanted to do this last year, but because it was my first show I didn't want to be too ambitious. Now that I'm left holding the reins, we are going to let loose a little bit.

EDGE: With 20 total tour dates across the United States, does the place you're performing in affect you on stage?

Juno Birch: I'm quite lucky, because people already know me and already know my humor from watching my YouTube channel. It definitely differs from the UK to America. When I am in the UK, I'm a lot more tongue in cheek and I speak a lot faster, but in America I'm more subdued and I take my time with my standup. The great thing about touring is that as we do more and more shows; by the end, it develops into a completely ridiculous show because I add things as I go.

EDGE: What do you love most about touring?

Juno Birch: I love getting to meet the people. I feel like I have created this little community with them because of my YouTube channel. I love reading their comments and then getting to say hi in person. I get really excited to see everyone's outfits, because people dress up when they come to my shows. They are either dressed as a Sims character that I've made, or as me, or a version of me from a different planet. I love that everyone really gets into it and it's fabulous.

EDGE: You are not only a drag queen, but you create and sells ceramic sculptures. Tell us about that.

Juno Birch: When I was younger I was always interested in doing Claymation. I love Tim Burton's work in "Corpse Bride" and "Nightmare Before Christmas." I have always loved the image of clay and the sculptures that you can create from it. After the tour, and when I get back to the UK, I really want to start experimenting with more mediums in sculpture. I would love to try puppetry. I want to start making my work move.

EDGE: Who are you taking out on a date: Superman, Alf, or Mork?

Juno Birch: Definitely Superman. He is the hottest one.

EDGE: What are you hoping your legacy for future drag artists will be?

Juno Birch: Great question! I've not thought about that much, because I really don't know. I feel like I am still trying to create it. I believe I was put on this Earth to make people laugh. There's a lot of horrible things happening in the world right now, and I want to help people see there is still laughter.

Juno Birch brings "The Juno Show" to The Wilbur, 246 Bolyston Street, Boston, MA, Monday, July 31. For more information, visit The Wilbur website.

For upcoming dates on "The Juno Show" in the United States, follow this link.