Lady Champagne | BFI Flare 2026

Director, actor, writer, musician, choreographer, nightclub owner, San Francisco’s first ever Drag Laureate… D’arcy Drollinger wears many hats - and that’s no mean feat given the height of his wigs. 

His latest film, Lady Champagne, is the sequel to 2020’s Shit and Champagne and the second in what will be a trilogy of films following the escapades of San Francisco’s premium exotic dancer, Lady Champagne.

Lady Champagne had its world premiere at the BFI on Thursday night as part of the Flare festival, and was introduced by Drollinger himself. While I had not seen Shit and Champagne before watching Lady Champagne, Drollinger’s warm and personable introduction instantly set expectations as to the style and tone of the piece, with one of my favourite quotes being his motto: “One bad joke is just a bad joke, but a hundred bad jokes is a fucking amazing joke”. As a lover of totally stupid comedy, my interest was piqued, and Lady Champagne did not disappoint.

If someone threw Airplane!, a pantomime, and a Drag Race acting challenge into a bedazzled blender, the result would be Lady Champagne. I was thoroughly entertained from start to finish and laughed out loud multiple times. The cast is made up almost entirely of drag performers, all giving 100% and throwing themselves into their roles with gay abandon - pun intended. Fans of the aforementioned RuPaul’s Drag Race would recognise such familiar, iconic faces as Alaska Thunderfuck (having lots of fun as a miserly prison guard), Honey Mahogany (appearing as a backup singer in one of my favourite gags), or Dragula’s Meatball (playing the fearsome leader of a prison gang). It would, of course, be remiss of me not to give a shoutout to Drollinger himself as the titular Lady Champagne, a performance as over-the-top as it is grounding, welcoming and guiding the audience through this zany, larger-than-life world.

The effects are hilariously (and intentionally) low-budget, the jokes crude, and the plot ridiculous, all of which adds to the charm. The affection for 1970's exploitation and B-movies is apparent, which makes sense given that one Rotten Tomatoes commenter termed Lady Champagne's predecessor, Shit and Champagne, a "dragsploitation" movie. Throughout it all, there was a pervasive feeling of warmth, of the love that has clearly been poured into making it. Many of the team behind the film were present in the audience, and Drollinger's real appreciation for them all was palpable. He also encouraged us to interact with the film in a way akin to Rocky Horror screenings, inviting us to shout out Champagne's catchphrase, "it's none of your fuckin' business!", along with her. The atmosphere was brilliant, and I have no doubt this film will find a devoted audience, just as the first did.

My only critique would be that one particular element of the plot felt a little uncomfortably dark, in a way that I'm sure was unintentional; it's revealed that the inmates of the "Lady Prison" are being intimately harvested in order to make perfume, which was presented in the opening scene in a way that, while ridiculous, felt in poor taste considering the very real medical trauma many people with vaginas go through. I may be being the friend that's too woke, but this was the one element that felt a bit jarring to me. It also didn't really feel necessary, as the plot surrounding Champagne on the run from the law and trying to clear her name was much more engaging and easier to follow.

All in all, however, this was an exuberant, campy, and supremely fun film. I will definitely be seeking out its predecessor, Shit and Champagne (currently streaming on various platforms) and following the progress of the promised sequel. After all, one glass of champagne is never enough.