My Name Is Antonio Mantonio And You SLAYED That Outfit

Antonio Mantonio

While I was away on vacation I got the pleasure of receiving this interview with Antonio Mantonio! I love learning about people and what makes them tick. Plus it's great to meet a fellow theatre buff! Keep scrolling down to read more about this Ph. D toting king!

What attracted you to drag?

I've always been a singer/performer - I sang in choirs at the Opera House, Pacific School Games etc. as a child - but as I got older my voice dropped and I'm now a female tenor like my mother. Traditional choirs won't often let a woman sing tenor, so I was looking for somewhere else to perform, and I saw 'Tipping the Velvet', so I started out with Victorian male impersonation and then branched out into standup, acrobatics and miming as well as live sung drag and here we are! :)

How long have you been doing drag?

Antonio's 'birthday' is in September 2009 - so nine years now!

How would you describe your drag style?

A reporter once described me as 'an eight year-old on red cordial' and I think that's quite apt! I've also been called a drag queen in a lesbian's body - essentially I'm very energetic, very into musicals/Disney/Camp and very, very sparkly!

What are your biggest accomplishments in and out of drag?

In drag, I'm probably proudest of being the most successful drag king to grace Oxford St since Sexy Galexy - I've done really well in several drag competitions, including making the semis in Tora's Drag Race (and being the first king to do so!), and have an open invitation to perform with Tora if she ever needs a king, which is nice :) I like showing the gay guys that we drag kings can be sparkly and camp too! And I have to mention being the 'coverboy' for the Mardi Gras edition of the magazine LOTL (Lesbians on the Loose) in 2012 :) Out of drag I'm probably proudest of my PhD in film studies, with which I graduated in April 2018 - for my day job, I'm trying to become an academic (i.e. someone who works at a university - the job's split between 30% research, 30% community, which is things like talking to the media, outreach at local high schools, conferences etc., and 40% teaching). 

Do you regularly preform somewhere? When can people catch you preforming?

I used to perform at Queer Central at the Sly Fox regularly before it shut down (and before my doctoral work heated up - I haven't been very active for the past few years mainly because of the work involved with doing my PhD and working two jobs trying to support myself on the side). I'm hoping to perform much more regularly now that I've graduated, especially on Oxford Street and in drag competitions, but for the most part these days you can catch me at the Red Rattler and Rule 34 (at Camelot) in Marrickville. I do a lot of alternative/Goth/metal variety nights as well as gay events, and I'm always up for a charity gig! I'm also a bit of a media whore - I tend to do a lot of stuff in local newspapers/gay websites, online videos etc. What can I say? I love the spotlight!

Would you like Drag to be a full time career?

I've certainly thought about it, but I've found that it seems to be almost impossible to earn a decent living from in Australia - especially as a king - and as a performer you seem also to be less in demand as you get older, so I decided to stick with academia which is much better paid and more secure :P

Whats your favourite performance you’ve done? (Provide a link to video if you have it)

I don't have a video unfortunately (I did, but Cee-Lo Green apparently has his legal team block everything with his music in it!) but I have a number to 'Fuck You' that is just the best fun ever, especially as I am the skinniest, whitest dude ever and get to poke fun at white people who think they're black. Another highlight would probably be performing for Dykes on Bikes' annual Christmas party a few years ago - I did 'What About Me' by Shannon Noll and it basically turned into karaoke with the crowd, which was great - my favourite shows tend to be when the crowd get into it with me, as I love entertaining people and making them laugh. If the crowd's not having a good time, I'm not having a good time!

Who’s your favourite Drag Performer?

I'm sure every Australian king says this, but Sexy Galexy - he's just as sparkly and camp as me, and he showed the queens how it's done here in

Thank you so much for bringing your Aussie warmth to this website Antonio! I hope one day we get to meet each other! Also CONGRATS ON THE PH D!!! I'm so proud of you!!!