BinGay? Now I can never go back

For you fans of Aussie culture, one of the best Aussie films of all time, is the Legendary “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.” The original and far more entertaining film than “Too Wong Fu, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar.”

Our intrepid Drag Queens, and their pink show bus, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert start the film leaving their home, the Imperial Hotel in Sydney. The real Imperial Hotel (in Newtown) has a Priscilla drag show every Friday – we haven’t made it to a single one – but one of our buddies sweet-talked us into one of Mitzi's famous ‘BinGay” evening at the Imperial.

BinGay is Bingo like everyone should play Bingo – it’s the most fun I have ever had filling in a number sheet. The basics are the same, the host, Mitzi, a fabulous 6’4” drag queen has to do everything over the top.

So picture the scene – it happens to be Mitzi’s birthday (#41), so the bar is strewn with balloons, streamers, everyone has a birthday party hat, noise makers and confetti. Mitzi, with her fabulous glitter-blue lipstick is leading the newbies through the different kinds of bingo games we are going to do… on cards she calls names like the ‘watercress’ one (meaning green).

Now, as Mitzi calls out the numbers, every number has action/comment:
“16” Mitzi shouts – “legal for boys and girls!”
“8 – all alone, fat chick”
“11 – pair of legs”
“I love ‘em best at 21”
“Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I’m 64”
54 means Mitzi’s BinGay assistant hands her a cooler (there’s one in each colour of the rainbow lined up) and her companion Naomi sings songs like “I love the Nightlife,” “Studio 54” etc. until Mitzi skulls it.

Other sounds and phases for numbers – surprise, surprise, 69 was only in audio – are significantly more raunchy, and probably not best to type out in public space (check out the Bingay web site. ) If you called out “BinGay” prematurely, Mitzi had a rather unflattering hat made of sex toys you had to wear until the next person screwed up. The whole evening was shrieks of laughter from the audience, especially after a few 54’s were called out and Mitzi started slurring her words and being a little more vocal in the entertainment. Everyone who won picked out unusual prizes… like the only g-sting bikini-wearing garden gnome I have ever seen in my life (who makes these things? And what’s the consumer demand really?). There is a softer side – all the proceeds go to an Australia AIDS Society – Mitzi has raised over $300,000 through BinGay to support their programs – which is their largest single donor.
Highly recommended for a bored Tuesday night!