Funny and relatable, the French adaptation of “Rue Paul’s Drag Race” has us in awe of its queens. What are the keys to this success? Answers with the show’s head writer, Rafael Cioffi.
In the summer of 2022, the success of drag race france It was a divine wonder. This year, it’s a happy confirmation that it was needed: gay culture has carved a new niche for itself in France through this competition that opposes (and brings together) eleven queens between “talent shows” and reality TV. And if nothing is certain, if violence against LGBTQIA+ people continues at appalling levels, icon Ru Paul has taken a step forward in terms of visibility with this adaptation of the American show.
Raphael Cioffi, who shares production of the show with Nicolas Misoffe and Jean-Louis Blot d’Endemol, is also head writer. this is what partially gives drag race france Its valves and its absurd, brutal or political punchlines, are of a very good level. ,We co-wrote it with Nicki Doll (who presents the show, editor’s note) on its launch and it always pays off. In general, our goal is to use every moment to make you laugh or make you think.,
work and performance
whatever describes the making drag race france As “mountain of workStarted on Canal+ with Charlotte Le Bon, then Catherine and Lillian, and also worked with Jean-Paul Gaultier. He shed light on his writing method: “Of course there is improvement, but my approach is not to reach 100% with 50%. I like to approach things 100% as written in the hopes of going up to 150%.,
Why not? Everything here smacked of exaggeration, self-exaggeration – the essence of drag – in a tradition whose workings in France, outside the relevant circles, were known only to a few. If every scene sounds scripted, it isn’t. ,What the candidates say is not pre-written. Raphael Cioffi says. drag race It resembles the conversations we all have in our daily lives. I’m a gay man who loves pop culture, so this show fits all of those criteria. I was really shocked when I saw the American version. For the first time I felt like me and my friends were watching me on TV.,
The show (pictures, various tests like the eliminatory lipsync in front of the jury) is an opportunity for the eleven contestants of this Season 2 (Kuki Kunti, Ginger Bitch, Keona, Mami Wata, Moon, Punani, Sara Forever, Piche, Kitty Space, Vespi, Rose) to reveal the course of their lives, in a place that doesn’t judge them, where the word circulates on serious topics like homophobia, transphobia, HIV is. ive and… Mylène Farmer .
,In this community, we can have as much double standard talking about HIV status and transphobia, and as much first standard talking about Lady Gaga’s debut album as if it were a presidential election.”, describes Rafael Cioffi, who highlights a key moment in this season’s second episode. ,While everyone was removing their makeup, Moon announced her trans identity to the other candidates, and explained that you must say ‘her’ at all times when you refer to her. The rest said ‘ok’ and we went ahead. These pictures, when they are a part of our lives, we do not see them on TV.,
The program must go on
For Cioffi, the show helps redefine the way weird topics and issues are addressed on TV and in mainstream culture, without naming the passions of confrontation. ,Previously, topics related to the LGBTQIA+ experience were often presented as debates. But identity is not an argument. We give the microphone to someone who does not have any dependents in front of him. This allows for high quality interactions. We get it quite pure, not fragmented.,
With experience, the author analyzes the scope of drag race france Far beyond the screen. It’s reminiscent of a trans friend watching TV for the first time with her family she hadn’t seen for ten years, or these viewers who find themselves as allies in the community when they and they didn’t even know the word, or even, following the revelation by Lolita Bananas about her HIV status in Season 1, the story of this grandmother who told her relatives about her HIV status. ,This is a program that is not driven by fearHe concluded. We do not censor ourselves, it is our duty to present the subjects in front of the camera and show them for what they really are. But don’t forget the show!,
drag race franceSeason 2. Every Friday at 6 pm on the France.TV site and again at 10:45 pm on France 2.
Public recording of the final on 20 August at the Grand Rex. Show des Queens at the Casino de Paris from 7 September, then on tour.