Emerson grad with 2.4 million TikTok followers heads to The Huntington for one night only

Anania Williams is coming for the holidays, and she’s not asking nicely.

Williams, whose first name is pronounced “Anna-Naya,” is a multi-hyphenate transgender, non-conforming performer; digital content creator with 2.4 million followers on TikTok; and host of Gaydar, who is making a homecoming of sorts. Williams, an Emerson College graduate with a degree in musical theater, is putting that degree to good use on Dec. 20 when she performs her one-night-only, cabaret-style show, “The Anania Show: Holiday Debauchery” at the Huntington Theatre in Boston.

“Holiday Debauchery” isn’t Williams’ first rodeo onstage. Her previous credits include “Kinky Boots,” “Saturday Church” and “Lucky Stiff.” Now, she’s ready to turn holiday cheer into something a bit more mischievous, like eggnog with far too much brandy. She combines her talents of drag artistry, comedy, singing, acting and thought-provoking dialogue to bring some unapologetic humor and glamor to the city.

The Banner caught up with Williams between meetings and rehearsals to discuss debauchery, capitalism, authenticity and all the ways this performance isn’t like your grandmother’s holiday pageant.

This interview was edited for clarity and brevity.

Banner: “Holiday Debauchery” is a fun and mischievous title. What does the phrase mean to you, and what inspired you to build an entire show around that vibe?

Williams: I think it’s just letting go, and I guess letting God, but if I do this right, I don’t know if He’ll be in the room. But I just wanted to make something that was fun, low stakes, but really warm and inviting for people to come to and to have a good time. I think some of the best times I have at the theater, or watching a cabaret or going to a concert, is when it feels like me and whoever’s on the stage are connected.

What was the inspiration for the show?

Growing up queer, transitioning and what that means, in terms of love and heartbreak, acceptance, holiday seasons and the social contract around being with your family.

So, coming from Davenport, Iowa, can you walk me through what your family is like and what your relationships are to love, holidays, familial contracts and capitalism?

I don’t have a close relationship with my family at large. I’m really close with my siblings now. We’re making active, conscious choices to keep choosing each other.

But growing up, it was always very volatile during the holiday season. We all felt stuck with each other. And whenever there’s abuse in the household, it’s just never fun to be home for much longer than you need to, right?

And hopefully this show is a way to change that narrative.

Yeah, I do hope so. I mean, in the past, I want to say, four or five years, doing the holidays with people that I choose to be around has completely changed my view on the matter. Like, I’m so excited for Thanksgiving and Christmas now, because it’s uninterrupted time with my friends. We cook, we laugh, we joke around, I get to see my sisters. It’s good. I’m turning it around. I’m making the best of it now.

And this show is another space to feel good about what’s happening. You’ll hear this in the show, but I think what I’m most excited about is the opportunity that The Huntington has given me to just be Black, queer, and trans and do what I want.

Given that you had a college connection that helped parlay this show, Boston is kind of a homecoming for you because of your time at Emerson. What does it feel like to bring the show back to the city where you trained as an artist?

I haven’t really thought about that. It’s a good question. The pros are I know the city. I have friends and family there. I feel connected. The cons are I go back to the headspace I was in college. And that’s about it.

I’m very grateful for my time at Emerson, but I grew so much as a person. I think I had to get through that experience, I think I had to leave Boston. Coming back is a little bittersweet, which is probably too dramatic but I’m excited.

Now do you see yourself as a theater artist who does drag or a drag artist who does theater, or something entirely different?

I like to think that I’m more than a drag queen. So, I’d like to think I’m an actor that does drag, if that makes sense? They inform each other quite often.

What should people outside of the trans community and outside the queer community understand about your work? Or do you care what they think?

I appreciate that. I think the thing people get wrong with me is thinking I’m trying to appeal or cater to the middle ground or something like that. I never want it to feel like I’m not putting me and my community first in my content or my work as an actor. I just want this to be for the girls, and the gays, and the theys and all that.

In some ways, you’re part of a new generation of performers who blends digital content, live performances and queer identity seamlessly. Do you feel like the boundaries between influencer culture and traditional theater are dissolving?

Not as fast as I would like. I want those two worlds to blend a little more seamlessly, but I also want there to be an actual vetting process and not be so numbers-based. I’d rather lose a role to someone who deserves it and is very talented, rather than get a role because of the people that follow me. You know what I mean?

Community seems central to your work, whether it’s queer community, creative community or Internet community. What kind of community do you hope to create in the room at the Huntington Theatre?

Oh, I hope people heckle. I hope there’s a bar fight. I hope somebody falls in love. I hope…I don’t know…someone gives birth to a calf. I hope everyone feels welcome in a way that’s radical.

And this sounds, I guess not as profound as I could say it, but I just want to have a good, dumb time in the name of the Lord!

ON THE WEB

Learn more at huntingtontheatre.org/whatson/the-anania-show-holiday-debauchery