Lady Champagne

😁 Lady Champagne, dir. D’Arcy Drollinger, 2026, USA, 99 min.
Wednesday, June 17, 2026, 7:30 PM, Castro Theatre
🌊 West Coast premiere

Lady Champagne

Frameline blurb: In 2020, San Francisco’s most notorious dancing queen Champagne Horowitz Jones Dickerson White Juan Spitzer (D’Arcy Drollinger) delivered a riotous good time at the Frameline44 drive-in with Shit & Champagne — and now she’s back for the Opening Night of Frameline50!

Framed for murder and thrown into “Lady Prison” in this boisterous sequel, exotic dancer Champagne White stages a grand escape using her arsenal of disguises, one-liners, and dance moves to take down a sinister perfume empire in this outrageous “dragsploitation” slapstick comedy, filmed entirely in San Francisco. As she goes to extreme measures to break out and clear her name, she faces off against a vengeful perfume magnate (played by local legend Matthew Martin) masterminding a mysterious, evil plot involving G spots.

A fierce lampooning of classic sexploitation flicks as well as a loving homage to ‘80s slapstick comedies like The Naked Gun, Lady Champagne is a non-stop camp extravaganza that doubles the silly and triples the laughs of its predecessor — all born from the mind of director, writer, star, and San Francisco drag scene staple D’Arcy Drollinger. The supporting cast reads like a who’s who of the local and global drag world, with appearances from Alaska Thunderfuck, Varla Jean Merman, Jackie Beat, Peaches Christ, Meatball, Nicki Jizz, Honey Mahogany, Sister Roma, and many, many more. Lady Champagne is produced by Marc Smolowitz (13th Gen), Frazer Bradshaw, and George Rush, and also features the return of local icons who also appeared in Shit & Champagne, including Seton Brown, James Arthur M., Steven LeMay, Nancy French, and Leigh Crowe.

My take: If you’re expecting high-brow intellectual content, fancy special effects, or even strict continuity from shot to shot, you’re in the wrong theater. Lady Champagne was made on a shoestring budget, but leans into the limitations that imposed. For example, the special effects for a car crash are literally a Matchbox car on quite visible strings. The jokes are groaners, full of in-you-end-os and broad strokes (and stroking some broads). It is definitely an ultra-high-camp drag show on film. If you have the opportunity, I definitely recommend seeing it in a theater, because the audience interaction is part of the magic. Highly recommended for all audiences, must see for drag queens and their friends and lovers.

• IMDb • Official website • Filmmaker • Instagram: @DArcyDrollinger ◦ @OasisArtsInc ◦ @13thGenFilm • Facebook • preview • other •