Berkeley gets ready to embrace one of its most fabulous native daughters as Sasha Velour, the iconic RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 9 winner, brings her groundbreaking “The Big Reveal Live Show” to Berkeley Repertory Theatre this June.

A true renaissance artist, Velour isn’t just a drag performer but a scholar, illustrator, and storyteller who seamlessly blends personal narrative with high-energy performance. Her upcoming two-week residency at Berkeley Rep isn’t just a show, it’s a homecoming celebration that promises to be part memoir, part spectacle, and entirely transformative.

Rooted in her 2023 book “The Big Reveal: An Illustrated Manifesto of Drag,” the performance weaves together personal history, electrifying lip-sync numbers, and nuanced explorations of drag as an art form. The soundtrack alone is a delicious mix, touching on everything from Stevie Wonder to Stephen Sondheim and Britney Spears.

Velour’s journey is as compelling as her performances. Raised by academic parents in Berkeley, she’s lived a life that defies simple categorization. Before dominating the Brooklyn drag scene, she worked as a security guard at the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg and was a Fulbright Scholar in Moscow, studying the role of artistic expression in Russian society.

Her Pride Night performance on June 7 will feature local Berkeley drag talent, including performers like Nitrix Oxide and Redd Fafilth, promising a celebration of local queer artistry.

“Getting to bring this thrilling, over-the-top spectacle to the city where I was born truly feels like a full-circle triumph,” Velour shared, highlighting the personal significance of this performance.

For those who remember her legendary wig reveal during the RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 9 finale, which reportedly caused a 500% surge in Whitney Houston song streams, this show promises similar moments of jaw-dropping creativity and emotional depth.

Tickets are available through Berkeley Rep, with the show running from June 4 to June 15. This isn’t just a performance; it’s a homecoming, a celebration, and a profound artistic statement all rolled into one fabulous package.