RuPaul’s Drag Race winner and musical theatre star The Vivienne had a plan to appear on Broadway prior to their death, their long-time manager Simon Jones has revealed.
The late drag star died on 5 January this year at their home near Chester after suffering a cardiac arrest related to the effects of taking the drug ketamine. They were 32-years-old.
While The Vivienne, born James Lee Williams, became internationally renowned for winning the inaugural season of Drag Race UK in 2019, they went on to have an illustrious career on stage and screen.
At the time of their death, they were preparing to appear as the Childcatcher in the UK tour of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and had recently completed a stint as the Wicked Witch in The Wizard of Oz in London.
PR expert Simon Jones, who managed The Vivienne’s career, has explained how the pair were working together to make sure the drag star became an even bigger global “superstar”.
“There’s some people that you work with that you just build a really strong affinity with. Because we were so set on doing things that were gonna break down those walls, we were very close, because we had the same goal,” Jones told Jon Dean on his podcast, All Out With Jon Dean.
Jones, who won the LGBTQ+ Trailblazer award at the inaugural Metro Awards last month, explained that he worked specifically to break down barriers for queer stars.
That’s why he worked to get The Vivienne as a contestant on ITV dancing show Dancing On Ice in 2023; they became the first drag star to appear on the show, and made it all the way to the finale with their dance partner Colin Grafton.
“My goal for Viv was like, you are going to be a superstar. We’re going to start by trying to get you on things like Dancing on Ice and Celebrity Hunted. And we were having conversations about other shows, like the Blankety Blank Christmas special, all that kind of stuff which was great,” he shared.
“But what we were really trying to achieve was like, they were the Wicked Witch in Wizard of Oz, and they were in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and then we wanted to go into the West End, and then we wanted to go to Broadway.”
Jones said that there was a “big plan” to see The Vivienne’s career ascend to new heights, “so when they died so suddenly, it was a huge shock and just beyond devastating”.
Following their time on Drag Race UK they became the first international queen to return for All Stars, appearing on All Stars 7, the winner’s edition, in 2022. That same year, they were awarded the Attitude Magazine Inspiration Award.
At the Metro Awards, they were posthumously given the Icon Award.
“It was honestly only just beginning,” Jones continued.
“We had worked hard for a lot of groundwork and Viv had worked really hard. It really felt like it was gonna pay off. Andrew Lloyd Webber absolutely loved them as the Wicked Witch. That would’ve led somewhere I’m sure.
“They were smashing it in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, everything they were doing was to such a level that I really think that they would have been on Broadway. They were already being nominated for awards. It’s crazy that it was cut so short.”
An inquest into The Vivienne’s death will take place in June. Their family have since begun working with substance abuse charity Adferiad to raise awareness about the impact of substance abuse and addiction.
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