The Manly Sisters were conceived at the now defunct Muse Bar in St Kilda on a humid Friday evening in February 2005.  Popular duo ‘Jack and Jill’ (Jackie Stevens and Jillette Jones) were lamenting the demise of their former three girl troupe ‘The Newbags’ when the answer was presented to them in the form of veteran performer Kris del Vayze.

A fresh format and a new name saw The Manly Sisters unleashed onto an unsuspecting public in May 2005 with their first show “Coming Out” at popular drag venue PINK.  In the words of audience members for this first show, Coming Out was “fresh, camp and a lot of fun” and “light, comic entertainment”.  Hot on the heels of Coming Out was their first full production show – “Battered Broadway” which opened, again at PINK in September for an eight week season.  The future of The Manly Sisters was signed, sealed and delivered and a cult following was soon to develop.  

The Manly Sisters dressed to impress!

Jillette Jones, Kris del Vayze and Jackie Stevens

A rapid succession of appearances followed.  The Manly Sisters took up residency along with The Showbags at PINK; have performed shows at Exit Inn, then along came cabaret/dinner shows at Spag ‘n’ Drag, guest appearances with Katie Underwood at GayAZ Expo and Midsumma Festival and various corporate functions around Melbourne.  The popularity of each of the Manly Sisters as solo performers has kept each of them in demand at a variety of venues around Melbourne.

A Performance History of The Manly Sisters

As solo performers, the members of the Manly Sisters have been seen at the following venues:

-          The Xchange Hotel

-          The Commercial Hotel

-          Shed 16

-          Exit Inn

-          Spag n Drag (Templebar Precinct)

-          Opening Party of Midsumma Festival (Federation Square)

-          Muse Bar

-          PINK @ Newmarket Hotel  

-          Girley Temple (Templebar Precinct)

-          B4

-          Vamps  

-          Taylors Lakes Hotel

-          Pollie’s Follies (Stonewall Hotel, Sydney)

Together, the girls have been seen performing at

-          PINK at Newmarket Hotel

-          Exit Inn

-          Spag n Drag (Templebar Precinct)

-          Muse Bar  

-          Girley Temple (Templebar Precinct)

-          Opening Party of Midsumma Festival (Federation Square) with  

               Katie Underwood  

-          Melbourne Exhibition Centre

Biography of Shows:

-          The Newbags (Jackie & Jillette, with Hillary Hoiste)  

-          The Madonna Show (Jackie, Jillette, Jessica James, Amanda      

               Monroe and Char D'nay)

-          Coming Out

-          This and That

-          Battered Broadway

-          The Sound of Music (co-production with The Showbags)

-          Girley Temple

-          Dancing with the Drags - A season a Cabaret @ PINK

-          Greece - The Drag Show (co-production with The Showbags)

-          That 60's Show – Temple Bar Precinct - Jan 07

The Manly Sisters became Drags Aloud in 2006, and in 2007 Jackie Stevens and Jillette Jones formed The Jack and Jill Drag Show.