Even while facing down transphobia, tight rehearsal schedules, and technical difficulties, nothing could stop TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney from putting on the show of a lifetime. Her new lifetime, that is!
After 365 consecutive days of documenting her journey through transitioning, Dylan has officially become our favorite one-year-old celebrity. She could have commemorated this anniversary with another viral TikTok, but where’s the musical theater spirit in that?
Instead, the creator put on a star-studded night of music, community, and love to celebrate her public journey. The Day 365 Live! event was set to stream live on stellartickets.com, with the proceeds of each $5 ticket being contributed to the Trevor Project.
Unfortunately, Stellar’s servers were completely overloaded by the outpouring of support for Dylan and unceremoniously crashed her online party. They may not have anticipated the turnout–although with Dylan’s 10.8 million followers on TikTok alone, they probably should have!
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Viewers who were able to get through to the stream were greeted with appearances from trans and nonbinary excellence from all corners of the entertainment industry and beyond. We’re not going to spoil the whole show, but the highlights are too much of a serve to not talk about!
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The night was filled to the brim with musical performances, both solo and otherwise. One such performance saw her singing “Sisters” from White Christmas alongside musical theater star Sis — a duet soon made a trio as they pulled Tony Award nominee L Morgan Lee from the crowd.
The three joined in tight harmony:
Another moment saw the star addressing the pressures of being accredited as a role model and activist (a word she still finds herself “uncomfy” with) so early into her transition.
This moment, including a monologue and a gorgeous little fainting couch, led perfectly into a duet with bi Mean Girls on Broadway star Reneé Rapp.
Together, the two acknowledge that no one can be “Everything To Everyone”:
In a heavier segment, Dylan played a small handful of the droves of transphobia she’s personally received from right-wing airbags like Candace Owens, Michael J. Knowles, and Ben Shapiro in just a year.
It was tough to watch, but the reality of our current moment can’t be ignored. And what’s a show without a little conflict? This section led her into a gorgeous falsetto-mix rendition of “Running Up That Hill” interspersed with messages of hope and change.
As Kate Bush herself asks, “We both matter, don’t we?”:
Mind you, all of this came with just one week of rehearsals. Miss Mulvaney put that BFA into overdrive!
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The LGBTQ+ Glitterati™ gathered in Hollywood for the 2023 Queerties Awards
Bianca Del Rio presided over an iconic Queerties ceremony, featuring Dylan Mulvaney, Rufus Wainwright, and so many more amazing guests.
Other unforgettable moments include a video message from Alexandra Billings, a sit-down talk with history-making trans senator Sarah McBride, and guidance by thee mother Dominique Jackson.
One of the cutest moments of all was a live Dating Game-style “Dylan Does Dating” segment hosted by Jonathan Van Ness featuring heartthrobs like Anything’s Possible star Abubakr Ali.
We’ve given away plenty, but there’s so much more to this once-in-a-lifetime performance. The emotion, the poetry, and the pathos of the night has to be experienced to be fully understood.
For anyone who didn’t make it past Stellar’s snafu, don’t fret! The streamer is planning to host a Video on Demand recording of the show available for a full 72 hours, with access information to come.
While no press has come out of the show itself just yet, plenty of folks were seen living it up at the Day 365 Live! event and afterparty:
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