Typhoid Mary, the Times Union’s Best Drag Performer of 2025, has been part of Nine Pin for years–hosting drag shows, trivia, and holiday events. So when we sat down with her to talk about Pride, we realized it was a good time to ask a question we’d somehow never asked before: Who is Typhoid Mary once the wig comes off?
What followed was less of an interview with Theo (the man under Typhoid Mary’s fabulous makeup, wigs and costumes) and more of a conversation. If you’ve been to one of Typhoid’s events, you already know she’s funny. You know she can work the mic and make every person in the room feel nervous and comfortable at the same time. What we didn’t fully understand is how much hard work and intention goes into doing what she does.
One of the first things Theo told us was that he never expected drag to become a career. It actually started off as therapy. We all have emotions that we need to process, and he saw drag as an opportunity to express them. He’d always wanted to try drag, but his partner at the time discouraged him with lofty expectations of polished perfection that were intimidating to a newbie. It was only when new, more supportive and encouraging people entered his life that he mustered up the courage to take the leap.
When dreaming up Typhoid Mary’s identity, Theo was inspired by the late 90s, early 2000s… goth girls, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the New Paltz drag scene. One decision he struggled with was whether or not to shave his beard. He didn’t want to shave it. In his day-to-day life, it affirmed his masculinity and was an important part of who he was. A bearded queen named Andromeda, who he later adopted as his drag mother, was the muse that convinced him he could be the feminine and gorgeous drag queen he aspired to be without losing the beard. So, it stayed and has become a core part of Typhoid’s iconic look.
To get himself into character, Theo starts by putting on some Halsey, Lourd, or Ethel Cain and takes a nice long, hot shower. Then he coordinates the hair, the makeup, and the outfit from a vast wardrobe of everything from cabaret to punk, goth girl to elegance. He mixes and matches the perfect ensemble for the occasion before sitting down in front of the mirror for 2.5 to 3 hours of makeup artistry. But it’s only when he arrives at his gig and puts on the heels that Typhoid Mary comes into being.
One thing Theo wants you to know about his drag persona:
“My angry brows are just painted on. I’m not an intimidating person. I love talking to people, love getting to know them, love talking to the audience.”
When people talk about drag, most people talk about transformation. But Theo doesn’t talk about drag as becoming someone else. It’s not about transformation for him. It’s about giving himself the confidence to live more into himself. Historically, Theo has been a humorous introvert, but Typhoid gave him the outward facade he needed to become more extroverted. And the more time he got to be extroverted on stage, the more confidence started showing up in his everyday life as Theo.
Theo has been performing drag since 2019 and producing shows since 2021. Most people only see the hour on stage, no one appreciates the hours spent scheduling, designing sound, making mixes, designing outfits, rehearsing… whatever is needed to pull off a professional performance. He works a day job plus drag which means he rarely gets a day off. Over the years he’s learned that people care less about perfection than most performers think. Professionalism, preparation, and making people feel comfortable tend to matter more than polish.
When asked what advice he would give aspiring queens he gave us three bits of wisdom that not surprisingly double as general life advice:
- “Take serious stuff seriously. Drag feeds me. I’m trying to create a standard, a bar, for everyone to be at, so that we can get paid what we deserve.”
- “Always be kind. Whether it’s to the audience or backstage, kindness will get you farther than anything. If you’re a joy to work with, if people love being around you and people see that, you’re going to get more opportunities.”
- “Be authentic. You shouldn’t be performing because the crowd wants to see a particular number. Your drag, your performance, should be something that is authentic to you in the moment. If I’m having a rough week, get ready for a ballad.”
While in many ways drag has gone mainstream, there are still a lot of people out there who are unfamiliar or have preconceived notions about it. For example, while drag can be a fetish, it is not inherently sexual. It’s an artform that plays with how society views gender expression, it creates more queer spaces by temporarily turning straight spaces queer, and it’s so outrageous it creates a safe space where people feel comfortable to be themselves. Because of this, Theo believes drag can (and should) be accessed by all ages, all people, and all walks.
But for Theo mainstream visibility of drag isn’t the finish line, it’s the starting point. And the question he is asking himself and the rest of the drag community is… now that drag has a mainstream audience, what are we going to do with it?
“We live in much more turbulent times than when I first started doing drag. And I truly believe that if you have a platform, you should be using it to make the world a better place.”
Like it or not, drag is inherently political. The first Pride was a riot. So, Theo encourages his fellow queens to get involved in local politics and non-profit organizations. He is an ambassador for the Alliance for Positive Health: Dining Out for Life which provides support and access to care for people with and at risk for HIV/AIDS in northeastern New York. Drag is hard work and there have been points when Theo wanted to quit, but giving back is what keeps him motivated to keep going. And he wants every queen to find causes they care about and use drag as a platform to give a voice to those who are voiceless.
At the end of our conversation, when we asked Theo what he hopes for the future. His answer wasn’t bigger stages, more bookings, or even more mainstream attention. It was much more humble than that: he wants more people to step up.
He wants more queens getting involved locally. He wants more performers getting paid fairly. He wants more artists creating spaces that feel welcoming and safe. Most of all, he wants people to find something they care about and do something with it. Because he won’t be Typhoid Mary forever and he hopes that when he hangs up his heels, that the world will inherit something better than what he started with.
Also, very important…
“Wear sunscreen. It’s going to be fucking hot this summer.”