The Queens of BARBARA

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This article was underwritten in part by the Mickey Flacks Journalism Fund for Social Justice, a proud, innovative supporter of local news. To make a contribution go to sbcan.org/journalism_fund.

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It’s Friday night. Low purple and pink light illuminates the inside of Eos Lounge as reverb trembles the floor. A group is forming a semi-circle, and you join them. Then, the music cuts and a queen (bets are she’s blond and named Linda) welcomes you to BARBARA.

The show begins.

For the next 90 minutes, drag performers give you everything they’ve got ― sexy, pretty, weird, athletic, emotional, silly. You dance along to their numbers; you laugh at the emcee’s jokes; you extend a dollar slotted between your thumb and index finger to tip the queen. You shriek at costume reveals. 

BARBARA’s origins started in early 2025, said the event’s creators, Cooper Bedin (Jaundice Joplin), Jon Bingaman (Aria Cummingtonite) and Sam Rosen (Linda). All PhD students (Bedin in linguistics, Bingaman in chemical engineering, and Rosen in quantitative biology), the trio originally started a UCSB drag club to build community and get more opportunities to perform.

And get more opportunities they did. The trio performed, along with queen Cherry Von Illa, in what was initially a one-off show in March for Gay Santa Barbara’s First Fridays. The show’s theme? MILF Manor, held at Eos Lounge.

“I had a blast,” said Rosen, who then lobbied Eos for a more regular show. “I was just persistent with them,” he said. “I was like, ‘This was really, really fun. Can we do it again?’”

So began BARBARA, held every second Friday of the month with each event featuring four drag performers. Often, it’s Bedin, Bingaman, and Rosen, but also Viola Tile, Melina Poinsetta, Fae Fatale, BJ Queen, Ava Kiss, and Michelle Chakra. They create fits and give performances based on a theme. DJ Quizo handles the music. Recently, Bedin performed a number inspired by the 2024 film The Substance, complete with workable giant syringe. Bedin, who has experience in musical theater, makes their own props.

“I really like doing numbers that give the audience some kind of way to interact with me,” Bedin said. “It’s also really fun to hand people the syringe full of the substance and have them hose me down with it.”

For the “Bob-ara” BARBARA show, Bingaman was a sexy Bob Ross. Bingaman said that number was one of their favorites. “Going around painting people and being Bob Ross in drag — that was enough for me, to fill me up,” Bingaman said.

As for Rosen, who generally emcees and gets the audience engaged, she once did a burger number wherein she pulled a McDonald’s cheeseburger from a hidden compartment in a wig. “I’m proud of how much BARBARA has made all our drag grow,” Rosen said. “I feel that having to hit a theme every single month makes us think outside the box in ways that we probably wouldn’t otherwise.”

Part of the joy of BARBARA is the chance for queer folks to gather for a Friday night event. Bingaman said they love that Wildcat Lounge holds space for queer people on Sundays, but the chance for a weekend night show is appealing.

“People want to hold their Friday and Saturday for going out,” Bingaman said. “Why do the gay people have to wait ’til Sunday for that? I’m happy we get to give people that space on a Friday.” 

Bedin, Bingaman, and Rosen said they focus on inviting performers from around the Central Coast, as “a rising tide raises all ships.” Now, BARBARA is growing in popularity, with performers reaching out to the team’s Instagram to ask about the show. And the audience, Bedin said, has allowed them to meet a more diverse group of queer people.

“There’s a lot of discourse about queer nightlife really centering gay men,” Bedin said. “BARBARA seems to be attracting a lot of people who are queer and who are not gay men. And we’ve been getting this really great group of people I never would have met — in Santa Barbara.”

Tip money gets reinvested in the show, the trio said, so that they can continue to improve, and pay the people behind the scenes who help make it happen. But, the queens said, tipping isn’t a requirement.

From left: Queens Linda, Jaundice Joplin, and Aria Cummingtonite | Credit: Ingrid Bostrom

“Just bring energy and have a good time,” Bingaman said. “That’s all we want out of it, is a circle of people to cheer us on as we act a fool.”

Bedin, Bingaman, and Rosen say that if you want to celebrate your bridal shower or your birthday, or any special event by going to BARBARA, feel free to DM them and they’ll incorporate a shout-out into the show.

This month’s theme? Wicked. The Ozdust ballroom is coming to town.  BARBARA has an Instagram. You can follow it here (@barbarapartysb). Follow Aria (@ariacummingtonite), Jaundice (@missjaundicej), and Linda (@mynameisjustlinda).