She’s the King of Brooklyn.
A 70-year-old playwright and self-proclaimed “drag king” took home the crown last week at the Big Apple’s first-ever all-ages, all-gender beauty pageant — a title she won thanks to a singing performance that left judges teary-eyed.
Denise “Mistah” Coles was crowned the inaugural “Brooklyn Community Kitchen Monarch,” an honor she hopes to share with older citizens across the five boroughs.
“Being a person of an older age, we have to be understood. We’re not being put out to pasture because we’re a little bit older. I have a lot to offer,” said Coles, of Ozone Park.
The ground-breaking pageant was hosted by, and in honor of, Brooklyn Community Kitchen, a three-decade-old soup kitchen in Greenpoint.
“I knew it was going to be a ball, that we were going to have fun. I really did not expect to be winning anything, but I did,” said Coles, who has written and executed four off-Broadway plays.
Coles was one of eleven contestants for the pageant, which organizers said followed a formal format, including interview segments, evening attire and a talent portion.
Contenders sang, danced and even rode a fake bull — but Coles stole the show when she took the stage as a “drag king,” which is a female performer dressed in a masculine outfit. Her’s even included a painted-on beard.
She wowed the crowd as she belted out “I Know Where I’ve Been,” the iconic song about racial equality from the “Hairspray” soundtrack.
“I’ve been singing it for years and will continue to sing it until I don’t have to sing it anymore,” Coles said.
“In the beginning I have [trousers] and everything else, and by the end of the song that I sing, I’m in a red dress, red wig, lipstick.
“And I got a standing ovation, believe it or not.”
At that moment, the entire room knew Coles had cinched the crown — except Coles herself.
The songstress was apparently blind to the stage presence that oozed out of her — she earned the nickname “Mistah” after gaining a reputation for her infamous leadership working behind the curtain. Ironically, it had nothing to do with her drag king performances.
“Mistah is a really special person who had a real vitality to them, and that really came through,” Thomas Tomczak, Brooklyn Community Kitchen’s board secretary, told The Post.
The inaugural event was completely sold out, and donations for Brooklyn Community Kitchen continued to pour in well after the lights on the stage were dimmed.
“The intention was always to support this really great cause and have some fun, and we were able to do that with this group of people that we were so lucky to find,” said Simone Tetteh, the group’s board president.
“It was a real example of community at work.”
As for Coles, she plans to continue singing and performing for as long as possible, now with a crown on her head, the beauty queen said.
“I think you [should] look at life like it’s yours and be happy. You gotta let things go — people hang on to stuff that bothers them. To me, that eats away at you inside. Don’t do that.”