“For a good time, call MargOH (212)***-****!”

True, this the kind of thing you’d normally see scrawled on the walls of a public men’s room of ill repute. And MAC Award-nominated MargOH Channing, for the record, would undoubtedly approve that message…  But jokes aside, every MargOH Channing show is indeed a guaranteed good time.  Her latest show, MargOH! Channing is Over-Sharing, had many of the classic elements that her many fans now recognize as “MargOH-isms”: the “boozy chanteuse” persona, the well-chosen choice of songs, the over-the-top delivery, and the bawdy humor.  True to the title of the show, however, Channing’s latest show on Saturday, April 18th at New York City’s Pangea was indeed more personal than ever.  The cabernet-haired cabaret star even revealed her REAL name in front of the sold-out crowd. Eek! Most drag queens would rather be caught buying makeup at the local 99 cent store rather than do that.  In addition to being MargOH’s most personal show yet, I’m going to be bold and say that this is the boozy chanteuse’s BEST live performance to date as well.  The piece featured musical direction and piano by the phenomenal Tracy Stark and percussion by the uber talented Don Kelly.

Ms. MargOH Channing’s name is complete with that characteristic “OH!” to separate her from all little girls bestowed with the soundalike name. (The name “Margot” in French, by the way, translates to “pearl”, a symbol of… purity!  Oh my, the irony drips with vodka.)  As a performer, Ms. Channing never disappoints.  Aside from the new jokes about GLP-1’s and the war-happy state of American politics, this show kept many of the things that we have loved about our heroine through the years. At this point in her reputation, our MargOH has nothing to lose.  She’s eager to please, but also doesn’t give a fuck.  Speaking of fucking, she loves to fuck with her audience…  She can make us die of laughter when she jokes about how fashion, ahem, died along with Karl Lagerfeld on February 19, 2019… yet also make us cry with the mournful anthem New York is Closing asone of her encores. And, as personal as MargOH can get in this show (She speaks about her bittersweet childhood and how the AIDS epidemic was the force that led her to drag.), she does occasionally resort to some, ahem, tricks… such as when she pulls out a list of all her former lovers.  That list, which ranged from Hervé Villechaize to Tiger Woods to Rosie O’Donnell (!), was longer than the keep-six-feet-apart lines at the liquor stores during the pandemic. (Sorry, too soon?) Speaking of liquor… MargOH kicked off the show with the high-spirited and OH-so-appropriate Jack Daniels, originally heard by Olivia Newton-John in the TV show Sordid Lives. With lyrics like “Jack Daniels is gonna save my soul tonight..” and “I get down on my knees and ask the good bartender please…”, the song was seemingly custom-made for MargOH’s persona.  Unlike many of her drag sisters, MargOH sings in her own voice.  She has a very specific range, and wisely stays within in. That said, she sings the FUCK out of that range.  Perhaps the best example of this is her take on You and Me Against the World, dedicated to her “now failing second liver”. 

Just like Judy had her Somewhere Over the Rainbow and Liza has her Maybe This Time, MargOH has a song that is distinctly her signature song: the one that MargOH fans in the audience know the lyrics to and sing along with their diva.  That song is I’m Not a Drunk.  By now, anyone who has seen MargOH more than twice before knows those emblematic lyrics: “Don’t you worry ’bout me, ’cause I’m doing fine!  Cocktails at MargOH’s at a quarter to nine!...” before bringing it home: “Darling, I’m not a drunk, I just love to drink!” My 25% Irish DNA approves… The next song, Quarantine Blues, written by Ms. Channing and Tracy Stark, became a mix of stand-up comedy, an intimate lounge performance, and one of those one night only small venue events with a famous old of-a-certain age diva. (I guess Marilyn Maye turned the song down…)  It was funny and, true to its name, very blues-y. MargOH does a lot of original material, but she will occasionally honor another artist by reworking their songs.  Her Bounce Your Boobies is a staple of her shows, and I’d pay the full price of admission plus two drink minimum at Pangea to hear MargOH perform Rusty Warren’s novelty song over and over again.  She also gave us Chappell Roan’s Pink Pony Club.  Who knew that this song, which only hit the masses in 2023, was already ripe for MargOH’s particular brand of boozy parody?  Ms. Channing definitely did the song justice.  Later on, MargOH gave the crowd Joni Mitchell’s Both Sides Now, one of my favorite pop songs of all time.  How did she know?

She may joke about about threesomes with Mickey Rooney and being a sex symbol as a toddler– but as mentioned before, MargOH can get serious. The show had some truly poignant moments, including her tributes to the people and animals who have passed on— complete with their portraits adorned on Tracy Tark’s piano. These included her dog Zasu, her friend the New York City socialite Nick Lion, and her former director Thom Fogarty, to which she recalled anecdotes and performed It Goes How It Goes/Shiver Me Timbers as a tribute. .Fogarty’s wife Leslie was in the audience that night. Zasu, MargOH’s beloved “fur baby”, also received a music tribute with Irving Berlin’s eternal What’ll I Do.

It’s hard to believe that MargOH Channing has been performing for 30(!) years. I have no doubt there will be at least another 30 years of the boozy chanteuse ahead. Alcohol is, after all, a great preservative. Raise your glasses!