Bob The Drag Queen Is Strutting Into Broadway’s Moulin Rouge! Purse First

Voulez-vous coucher avec… Bob! Yes, you heard that right: Bob The Drag Queen has taken over the Moulin Rouge.

On January 27, the RuPaul’s Drag Race winner made his Broadway debut as Harold Zidler, with his run in Moulin Rouge! The Musical opposite fellow stars like Meg Donnelly (as Satine) and Christian Douglas (as Christian) set through March 22.

Bob’s triumphant bow at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre is the culmination of a decades-long dream for the modern drag legend, who started hitting the audition circuit nearly 20 years ago after he first moved to New York City.

“Don’t all actors move to New York City to be on Broadway? I’m not terribly unique in that way,” he quips to Ticketmaster, before insisting, “It’s not really that interesting of a story except it’s just I got a lot of no’s. Like, for 17 years.”

Back then, the name on Bob’s resume was Caldwell Tidicue. His famous drag persona would be born over the next few years as he first became a bonafide fixture in the New York nightlife scene before going on to take over the world with his one-of-a-kind mix of charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent.

And yet, as his star rose higher and higher — winning Drag Race, touring the world with Madonna, becoming a New York Times bestselling novelist and even winning a Peabody Award for cross-country HBO drag series We’re Here — that original goal of performing on a Broadway stage remained elusive. That is, until Moulin Rouge! finally came calling.

The role of Zidler — proprietor, emcee and all-around ringmaster of the Parisian hotspot — is a natural fit for the drag veteran with decades of hosting experience packed into his fan-favorite purse. “Hosting and setting the tone for me is really second nature at this point, you know?” he says. “I’m really kind of resting on my laurels here, to be honest.”

The experience also broadens his skillset, however, whether he’s overseeing the musical’s eye-popping opening number, belting out an absinthe-soaked cover of Sia’s “Chandelier” during the second act or adding his own flair to the show’s raucous, exhilarating encore.

Below, Bob The Drag Queen opens up to Ticketmaster about the joy of making his long-awaited Broadway debut, his favorite memories of touring with Madonna, the wide-ranging roles still on his Broadway bucket list, why he hopes audiences choose to “re-engage with life” after leaving the theater and more.

Congratulations on making your Broadway debut! How have the first few shows gone?

Thank you! I’m four shows in, which means I only have 60 shows left! [flashes peace signs] They’ve been going great, I’ve been doing pretty well. I have a really supportive cast and I’ve had a lot of friends come see me, so I’m really happy.

Tell me a little bit about your road to Broadway. I read something recently about how that was your original goal when you first came to the city.

Don’t all actors move to New York City to be on Broadway? I’m not terribly unique in that way. It’s not really that interesting of a story except it’s just I got a lot of no’s. Like, for 17 years. Well not even 17, I stopped even trying after the first, like, couple years. I just gave up on even trying to get in front of Broadway producers. And then I was lucky enough that one day, some producers called me!

Had you already invented your drag persona at the time?

When I first moved here, I was not doing drag. When I first moved to New York City, I had not done drag for, like, maybe a year after that. Maybe a little less than a year after that I started doing drag. And I was going on auditions still, but not booking a lot and never getting callbacks. I got one callback one time. Well, I made it to the second round of an audition, like, one time before I was offered this role.

Are you a fan of the original Moulin Rouge movie?

I had not seen it until, like, maybe a month ago! I watched it after I was cast in the show and I made a big deal of it. I invited all my friends over and we all watched it together.

What did you think?

It’s obviously really great. I mean, obviously Baz Luhrmann was probably doin’ somethin’, because that is not the vision of a sober man, you know? But it’s brilliant. And I see why it got so many Oscar noms.

So in the show, you play Harold Zidler, who’s the emcee of the Moulin Rouge… 

Well, he’s not just the emcee. He is the proprietor of this beautiful club, he’s the showrunner, the show director, the emcee, the club owner, there’s a lot. He wears a lot of hats.

What’s your take on the character? How would you describe your version of him?

Well, I do believe that Zidler is an American living in Paris, probably escaped the tyranny right after the Civil War. Probably, he grew up as a kid during the Civil War and, you know, wanted to have a better life for himself. So he landed in Paris and found this scrappy young girl named Satine, who he became good friends with and helped kind of mold her into a star.

As Zidler, you’re responsible for the opening number of the show, which kicks off with the girls doing “Lady Marmalade” before you take over with “Because We Can” and a giant medley of other songs. What goes into that number and your role in setting the stage for what’s to come?

Well, I’ve been a host for years between shows here in New York City and Madonna’s tour and drag tours and comedy tours, TV shows. So hosting and setting the tone for me is really second nature at this point, you know? I’m really kind of resting on my laurels here, to be honest.

Actually, the last time I saw you in a similar sort of hosting role was on Madonna’s Celebration Tour. Did you learn anything from that experience that you’re applying to life in the Moulin Rouge?

You know, a lot of what I applied to the Madonna tour was actually learned on the streets of New York City being a drag queen. So I can say a lot of what I’ve learned has honestly been just from being a New York City nightlife fixture.

What are some of your favorite memories from touring with Madonna?

Oh my god, it feels like such a blur now because so much life has happened since then. Our news cycle these days is so rapid and, like, rampant, even… rapid and rampant, that it’s hard to keep up with what was happening when. But I would say performing on the Copacabana Beach in Brazil was really an amazing experience.

Not to give anything away for fans who haven’t seen the Broadway version yet, but how do you feel about all the new songs that have been added to the score in the 25 years since the movie was released? 

I mean, they’re obviously iconic songs. These songs are a bit more indicative of when this show came out versus when the movie came out, obviously. This show really is a love letter to millennials and Gen Xers. If you’re between 35 and 47, you will probably be obsessed with this show.

Besides the opening number, do you have a favorite song to perform as Zidler?

I would say my favorite number in the show is probably the encore, like at the very end. I just get to have so much fun, I have this quick change where I’m running around the stage, and I get to really bring it home, so it feels really nice.

I saw the video that was posted from your first curtain call. How does it feel to incorporate “Purse First” into your big bow on Broadway?

[Leans back] Well, as a Broadway lyricist and composer, it feels pretty great. I’m here with my contemporaries Andrew Lloyd Webber and Stephen Schwartz. So it feels great. Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz ain’t got nothin’ on me, you know?

Did you ever think when you made that entrance into the Werk Room on Drag Race that you’d one day be performing “Purse First” on Broadway?

We’re not gonna say no… but it was still really shocking and exciting when I heard it. I mean, I never thought that song would be on Broadway. I always figured that I would make my way to Broadway, but I didn’t think I’d be singing “Purse First.”

Now that you’ve made your Broadway debut, what are some other dream roles on your bucket list?

I would love to play King Herod in Jesus Christ Superstar. I would love to play Miss Hannigan in Annie. That’d be fun. I’d love to take a stab at Mary Todd Lincoln in Oh, Mary! or maybe even Abraham Lincoln in Oh, Mary?! I mean, so many. I’m a theater nerd, so I could do this all day.

You mentioned the current news cycle and everything that’s going on in the country at the moment. Do you hope Moulin Rouge provides a bit of escapism for audiences coming to see the show?

I think escapism is important but we’re at a point where we can’t escape for too long, you know? I mean, Don Lemon was arrested last night, meanwhile every January 6th protestor has been completely exonerated. We’re arresting journalists and freeing literal domestic terrorists. That’s crazy.

Listen, Moulin Rouge! is not my show. It’s not for me to determine what you take away from the show. I don’t even determine what people take away from my show. What you get is what you take from the show, you know what I mean? Moulin Rouge! is a love story; I’m not a romantic. I’ve never been a romantic. I don’t love love stories. I love love, in general. I love fun, in general. But I do think that once you leave the theater, it is time to re-engage with life. It’s OK to escape for a moment, but we need to re-engage with life.

What’s next after you finish your stint at the Moulin Rouge?

Well earlier this month, I released my stand-up comedy special [Bob The Drag Queen: This Is Wild], you can catch it on Hulu. Then after my run in the show is done, I’m gonna go back on tour for my spring dates, so you can go to seethedragqueen.com to get those tickets. And I’m also going to be promoting my book, Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert — it’s about a year since my book came out and we became a New York Times bestseller. And I’m hoping that people will get a chance to read it, especially for this Black History Month, to celebrate the life and achievements of Harriet Tubman.

You’re also doing The Traitors Official Podcast with Survivor legend Boston Rob. Has that given you a chance to relive your turret fantasy?

Well, I don’t have any power. I just have the power of criticism. [Laughs] But I don’t have enough power to change any outcome. I just have the power to critique people. Which, I’ve always given myself that power, quite frankly.

You have also been dealing with some online drama lately with Ginger Minj thanks to her press tour for All Stars 10.

I have, yeah.

How does it feel to get onto Broadway before her? Just kidding, just kidding.

[Laughs] You know, I haven’t thought about my getting on Broadway in terms of doing it before Ginger Minj. But she is insanely talented, and I could see a future where she could be on there. She’d actually probably be really good in this new Rocky Horror Show they’re announcing.

Oh my god, the cast in that!

And shout-out to Anania, who’s a swing in the show. I’ve always said Anania is gonna be the future of drag and I think this is all proving it.

Tickets to Moulin Rouge! The Musical are available on Ticketmaster.