From the theatre production of Steel Magnolias, to Oprah, and to the Silver Screen, Sweetie has graced entertainment stages with EXCEPTIONAL drag humor, music and…yes, even cartwheels!. On Monday April, 8th 2013 Sweetie will join ADRLF in “Bring it Or Sing it! The Ultimate Karaoke Showdown”, a benefit to fund free hepatitis screenings and vaccinations.
Sweetie is among New York’s Drag Royalty whose artistry and theatrics guarantee an unforgettable performance. Daniel Booth conceived ‘Sweetie’ after watching a show at the late, great drag mecca, The Pyramid. Daniel and his friend asked for a spot in an upcoming show. “After a fateful night of cartwheels, confetti and onstage pyrotechnics, my career ignited and the rest is history,” Daniel told this ADRLF reporter.
Traveling all over the world, Sweetie has appeared on television shows, major motion pictures, as well as Off-Broadway shows. “I find great balance by incorporating drag with theater,” he shares. “Yes! ‘Sweetie’ is a THESPIAN!”
This time, Sweetie lends her showmanship to raise funds for the uninsured and under-insured. Daniel’s dedication to help ADRLF provide free diagnosis and vaccinations comes from his own encounter with a deadly liver disease. He lost one of his best friends, Mikal Watson, to liver cancer.
“We were both Midwestern by birth with deep southern roots and had run away to the big city about a decade apart from each other,” Daniel said of Mikal. “He taught me how to survive and thrive in NYC. Mikal was my mentor and a true New York character.”
Mikal had been diagnosed with hepatitis C years before he met Daniel. He lived a very healthy life and displayed no alarming health issues related to his liver condition.
“All of that changed however when the owner of his Harlem apartment building hired exterminators to spray the building for bed bugs,” Daniel recalled.
Mikal lived in an old building with very porous wooden floors. At some point, exterminators started to spray insect poison heavily on the wooden floors unbeknownst to the tenants. Mikal, who enjoyed being barefoot in his home, soon became ill– a casualty of the continuous toxic spraying.
After a few months, Mikal was hospitalized and later diagnosed with Stage 4 liver cancer. “Mikals body was taking in huge amounts of the bug poison thru the soles of is bare feet,” explained Daniel. Mikal passed away within six months.
“His death was a tragedy. I miss him every single day,” Daniel said.
Supporting early and free diagnosis of hepatitis and liver cancer is at the heart of Daniel’s personal and professional goals. “For whatever small platform I have to reach people, I feel like its my responsibility to do my part,” he said. “Doing service in my community is really important. It does the soul good.”
Don’t miss Sweetie at ADRLF’s Karaoke Night, with host, Carson Kressley at the Ryan Center on 10th Ave and 45th Street, NY. Doors open at 7:00pm. Get your tickets now!
