Miss Richfield 1981 is more likely to take the bus than to fly but the diva brought to life by Russ King of Minneapolis is starring as a flight attendant in a new national ad for Orbitz.
The online travel site has been a sponsor of Miss Richfield's touring shows since 2010, and King said he's done three ads for the business, mostly aimed at LGBTQ travelers. On those, he's worked with five or six other people.
The new ad, filmed April 1 in Los Angeles, has a cast of about 30, including Margaret Cho, Randy Rainbow and drag queen Bianca del Rio plus dancers flying — figuratively — and sashaying through security at an imagined airport.
The spot was produced by the Hazy Mills production company, formed by "Will and Grace" actor Sean Hayes and his business partner.
King said he flew to California on March 31, practiced the choreography that night and filmed 30-second, 60-second and 90-second spots the next day. The 30-second spot is likely to be used on television; the others on social media and the website.
"It was really fun to be a part of," King said.
Though "she's not known to be in airports real often," King said, Miss R. is "willing to advertise for airports. She's totally for sale."
King heads to Provincetown, Mass., on Thursday for the summer season, where he'll do about 60 shows as Miss Richfield.
