Beaulah: Queens van die Kaap Season 1 Episode 1 recap: Birthday party drama

After an epic opening sequence that oozes opulence, glamour and razzle-dazzle, we meet the drag queens who’re connected through performing at Cape Town’s Zer021 Social Club (located in Canterbury Street in District 6) in their day-to-day lives. Showmax Original reality series, Beaulah: Queens van die Kaap has come to slay.

We’re invited into the homes of Veon Wentzel (Manila von Teez) and his friends, Carl Richards (3Divas singer Kat Gilardi), and Wade Khoosal (Ina Propriette). We go inside talent management agency The Drag Cartel to meet co-founder, proud trans woman Gillian Archer (Maxine Wild) and her drag sisters, Fabian van Schalkwyk (Emogan Moore), and Brandon Samuels (BB Vahlour). And after some crumbs of gossip are dropped about her, we meet the queen everyone is fighting with: Madison Scarr.

Stream Beaulah: Queens van die Kaap Season 1 on Showmax now. New episodes on Thursdays. 

Booked & blessed!

First up, a spot of fabric shopping with Carl and his husband of 19 years, underwear designer Errol Stroebel. Carl and Errol talk about how they fell in love, and Carl’s busy schedule as Kat, one of the 3Divas, star of Thursdays with Kat, and director of Mr and Ms Sovereign Western Cape. While Kat’s out shopping, Veon’s at home in Goodwood, sewing orders for his clothing label Haus of Vjorn and nodding as his business partner runs through his long list of tasks for the day. And Wade chats to his supportive mom about therapy, and the financial realities of drag, which keep him running from job to job. Later when Carl, Veon and Wade get together, Carl asks Veon to arrange his cowboy-themed “hoedown” birthday party for him ... with just two days' notice! There’s just one maybe on the guest list: Madison Scarr. And we get the first crumbs in a breadcrumb trail to drama: Knysna and the words "the old hos". 

The Drag Cartel: communal drag

Gillian takes a beach walk with her partner and manager, Nazeem Southgate, as they discuss creating new opportunities for the Drag Cartel queens. The Drag Cartel offers everything from talent management to emotional and social support, while connecting the queer community. As we spend a relaxed day in their makeup room, we meet Fabian, and Brandon, who entered the drag world after choreographing a show for Emogan. 

Fabian takes us to school, literally, as he coaches his primary school netball team. And BB, Mother for the Haus of Valhour, talks about how she overcame one of the biggest setbacks in her life when her home in Lavender Hill (Overcome) burned down with all her drag in it one week before a pageant! Tackling tragedy with dark humour, BB jokes about what the tabloid headlines might have been, had she died in the fire.

Is it me? Am I the drama? 

Madison Scarr – Mother of the Haus of Scarr, and a dancer on the Expresso Morning Show with her backup dancers The Scarlets – takes us along for drinks with her bestie, Dee, a fellow trans woman, as they discuss their clinic appointments and follow-ups. Madison is seven months into the medical aspects of her transition. It’s part of a much, much longer journey. Madison explains, "The hardest things that I have ever had to overcome are just accepting myself, and presenting myself the way I've always wanted to." As they chat, Madison reveals that Kat’s birthday party is the first time she’s ever been invited to be social with the queens, but she’ll RSVP in the spirit of reconciliation. By now we’re begging to know what exactly happened!

Party city clown hoedown

At Kat’s drag hoedown birthday party Manila has managed to get all Kat’s queen guests and their partners and friends to come out on a work night – so she wins our vote for next Mayor of Cape Town. But Maxine arrives so late that Ina has to head to her next gig. 

With the girls gathered, it’s time for the pick-on-Madison party. In brief, here’s the tea:

• Manila claims that Madison, “never wanted to get to know us, she just wanted to see what we were doing.” 
• Emogan accuses Madison of shading others’ performances to elevate her own.
• While in Knysna, Madison called out the “old hos” who were excluding her by name, which led to them being harassed on social media. 
• Madison claims that her comments were only directed at Emogan, Kat, Kat's husband, Errol, and Nazeem.
• Emogan points out that Madison throws six people under the bus when she's going for one person.

Aiming to avert war, Kat exaggerates her own reaction, claiming she’s appalled. It works, and Madison joins the laughter, takes Kat’s hand, and apologises. In her talking head recording, though, Kat reveals that she certainly isn’t feeling all kumbaya at that moment. 

Gloves up for round 2: Wig-gate

Alas, some people can’t resist picking at a scab. Manila starts everyone on Wig-gate next. Maxine asks, "Did BB take the wigs? Did her daughter take the wigs? Is Madison lying about the wigs? What really happened that night?” In her talking head, Madison explains, "I wouldn't say that BB took the wigs out of my bag herself, but she had her daughters do it." 

Everyone is laughing as BB teases Madison about their relative professional standing as dancers…until BB goes too far. While Madison’s face announces that playtime is over, BB accuses Madison of practising her social moments, and of “practising for third place”. Ruffled, Madison comments in her talking head segment, “The whole drag mafia, they are all protecting BB and her gangsters. They're a bunch of skollies." And before anyone can bury the hatchet, Madison gets up to leave. In a show of goodwill, she makes Manila laugh and the two hug. But this fight is far from over …

Stream Beaulah: Queens van die Kaap Season 1 on Showmax now. New episodes on Thursdays.