Kitty Klottsalot: Bringing Comedy, Class, and Politics to Drag

Dynamic performer Kitty Klottsalot approaches drag as an ever-changing challenge. Constantly redefining the game through the use of props, puppets, and clever costuming, Kitty manifests a style of drag that shifts between filthy and campy to clean and classic to hilarious and political. This artist’s intense appreciation for obscure and mainstream popular culture alike is evident in their spot-on interpretations of everything from a classic Lucille Ball to Miley Cyrus to certain unfavorable North Korean leaders. Kitty Klottsalot joined us for a discussion on her approach to the world of drag.

How long have you been a performer? Where did you get your start?
I’ve been doing drag for I think five years. I’ve been a performer all my life though. When I was little my grandmother and I would watch musicals and she would prod me during family dinners etc. to get up and do funny little bits from the movies we watched. That blossomed into a very active extra-curricular life during high school.

My favorite ensemble is always the one I’m working on. If I lose interest in it, I don’t complete it.

How would you describe your specific brand of drag?
My brand of drag is all about entertainment. Like some queens are all about serving good Instagram, and being a beautiful model– I’m about being a quirky actress who looks her part depending on the role she’s playing that night. My biggest fear is being boring. It’s about real-life interactions with an audience.

How would you describe the drag scene in Pittsburgh? What differentiates it from drag elsewhere?
I don’t really feel qualified to describe the whole of Pittsburgh drag. I’ve made it a point from the time I started to really just focus on me. I don’t really pay attention to what the other queens do or have done. I will say that it’s a bit different to do drag in Pittsburgh because there isn’t a centralized “gayborhood” like in other cities, so different venues have completely different crowds/markets.

Earlier this year, Kitty Klottsalot performed at Comedy Queens National in Orlando. Parodying the infamous Duggars from 19 Kids and Counting, Kitty’s number consisted of a pneumatic birthing table and multiple (fake) babies being “birthed” from an air cannon. But in the last five years, Kitty Klottsalot has established herself as more than just a comedy queen. Her unique brand of drag combines glamour, high fashion, camp, comedy, and performance art, proving that performers, no matter what their area of focus, are no longer constricted by preconceived limitations.

You can find Kitty at Blue Moon as one of their regulars who, undoubtedly, will be serving up anything but regular every weekend.