‘Drag Race’ contestant Sam Star at Sway on Wednesday

SAM STAR
WEDNESDAY 10/7. Club Sway. 8 p.m. $24-$34.  

When it comes to the ever-expanding roster of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” queens, the Bible Belt has always punched above its weight. Exhibit 1 of many: the pageant-polished Sam Star, a sparkly perfectionist of a theater kid from Birmingham, Alabama, who, as a youth, got teased for his “government” last name, Perky, and who has since turned “perky” into a best practice. Coming into the finish line at a joint 3rd/4th place on season 17, Star’s star moments included but were not limited to: appearing as a dead ringer for Anna Nicole Smith in an acting competition; a touching makeover challenge with his mother; and designing some truly immaculate runway gowns, thanks to the sewing skills he learned as a child from his grandmother. Star appears at Sway as part of the club’s Hard Candy event series, and on a school night worth calling in late to work the next day for. Get tickets at samstarlr.eventbrite.com.