An Orlando concert venue is on the verge of losing its liquor license after state officials accused the owners of hosting a drag show with sexually explicit content while children were in attendance.
The Orlando Philharmonic Plaza Foundation, Inc., which operates The Plaza Live at 425 N Bumby Avenue, received an administrative complaint from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco on Friday, February 3.
According to the complaint, the venue hosted a show entitled “A Drag Queen Christmas” on December 28, 2022. The complaint alleges that sexually explicit content was prevalent throughout the performance, including exposure of genitalia and sexually-themed songs, and that the venue did not take steps to appropriately prohibit children from being in attendance.
The complaint states that prior to the show, the department sent a letter to the venue stating that “sexually explicit drag show performances constitute public nuisances, lewd activity, and disorderly conduct when minors are in attendance.”
The letter called on the venue to prohibit minors from attending the performance and, if it failed to do so, “its license would be subject to penalties up to and including revocation.”
In response, the venue posted a letter on its entrance that stated it would not restrict access, but that “some may think the context is not appropriate for under 18.” According to the state, the notice was “barely visible” and was printed in “small font on a piece of paper taped to a door.”
During the show, numerous segments featured performers engaging in acts of sexual conduct, simulated sexual activity, and “lewd, vulgar, and indirect displays.” Those included one performer intentionally exposing prosthetic female breasts and genitalia, another performer exposing their buttocks, and a separate performance in which masturbation was simulated through digital penetration of female genitals.
Additionally, videos were shown during the performance that showed exposed female breasts, simulated masturbation, and other sexually explicit content.
The complaint also cites multiple sexually explicit songs that were performed during the show, including an adaptation of All I Want for Christmas that contained portrayals of oral fellatio, as well as the line “I’ll sit on his lap, he can put his milk and cookies all between my gaps.”
Additionally, the complaint cited a performance of “Screwdolph the Red-Nippled Reindeer” and multiple sexually explicit lyrics including “You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen. Vomit and Stupid and Dildo and Dicks-in,” “But do you recall the most famous reindeer of all? Screwdolph the Red-Nippled Reindeer, had a very shiny bust,” and “Then one soggy Christmas Eve, Santa came to say ‘Screwdolph with your nipples so bright, won’t you guide my sleigh tonight.”
The state is charging the venue with violating multiple Florida Statutes that prohibit lewd or obscene materials from being shown to minors. The complaint asks that the venue’s liquor license be revoked.