Whether or not you're a supporter of Allies and the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community, you'd be hard-pressed to describe Friday night's Pride Week event as a drag.

Well, unless of course you're referring to the queens. Both the HUB-Robeson Center's Alumni Hall and the four visiting performers were transformed to celebrate awareness and diversity at Penn State's third annual Drag Ball.

John Harlow, Late Night Penn State director, worked with Allies to organize the event, which is generally just about having some good, clean fun, he said.

Allies President Sara Ryan agreed.

"This is our most fun part of Pride Week," she said.

The free show attracted a large body of Penn State students for a variety of reasons, but most seemed to be going into it with fun attitudes and open minds.

Jackie Bateman (junior-elementary education) attended to receive extra credit for HD FS 250 (Sexual Identity over the Lifespan), but said she was excited about seeing her first ever drag show.

Mike Crawford (freshman-division of undergraduate studies) was another first-timer who came to support a friend, though he was concerned the show wouldn't be well received in an environment like Penn State's.

"Nah, it's too much fun," Sam Richards, a professor of sociology, responded.

In fact, Richards said an event like this was very important for the average Penn State student to experience.

He pointed out that the history of drag is very accepting of the straight population, adding that people who think of it as an exclusively "gay thing" are mistaken.

"I think it's something to take students outside their sociological boxes," Richards said.

And who better to assist than Miss Pandora Boxx (yes, two x's, not three), along with fellow queens Cookie Crisp, Milan and Kierra Darshell, the show's organizer.

"Kierra has an amazing reputation through her Miss Tri-State All-Star Pageant," Ryan said about the 15-year veteran.

Darshell's experience was apparent as she delivered an inspired (though lip-synched) performance of Whitney Houston's "Greatest Love of All" to open the show. The crowd went crazy when she hit the stage as a dead-ringer for the diva in better days gone by.

Throughout the night, Darshell would also appear as the doppelgangers of Diana Ross and Kelis (taking with her a few dollar bills in the process), though none of the queens matched the celeb-shifting abilities of Pandora Boxx.

Amid gasps of "she looks just like her," Boxx appeared dressed as "In The Zone" Britney Spears. She not only performed to that song, but also segued into Missy Elliot's "Pass That Dutch," Kelis' "Milkshake" and finished by belting Beyoncé's "Crazy in Love," while splayed out in a window.

Later, Boxx showed her spirit fingers in a sultry rendition of "All That Jazz" that rivaled even the great Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Cookie Crisp also made Broadway a lot more interesting, dressing as Annie to sing "Tomorrow."

Those who questioned whether the length of her skirt was appropriate for a little orphan girl weren't surprised when she broke into Khia's "My Neck My Back."

Darshell even selected Kristen Kofmehl (junior-public relations) from the audience to try on a costume and appear onstage with the girls for one last hurrah: Chaka Khan's "I'm Every Woman."

"I'm a woman who loves to share the stage with people," Darshell proclaimed.

By all appearances, the packed show was a huge success. People continued to dance and have a good time after the lights came on, and the good reactions far outweighed the uncertainty.

"It was very interesting," Chris Hartman (freshman-business administration) said. "I liked it, but I don't know if I could part with my masculinity and do something like that."

His friend Kelly Kalmar (sophomore-division of undergraduate studies) was quick to object.

"It was awesome. You missed the good part," she told him because he arrived late. "It was honestly one of the most entertaining things I've done in a long time."