“Drag: The Musical,” starring the “RuPaul’s Drag Race” winner and Broadway veteran, is currently playing at the New World Stages theater in New York.

RuPaul’s Drag Race star Alaska Thunderf— and Broadway veteran Nick Adams play dueling queens in Slide: The Musicalplaying Stages of the New World theater in New York, but off stage, the two men are each other’s biggest fans.

Written by Alaska, Ashley Gordon and Tomas Costanza, Slide: The Musicalwhich initially opened in Los Angeles in 2022revolves around two drag houses each run by two larger-than-life queens (Alexis Gillmore from Adams and Miss Kitty from Alaska), who have a mysterious past together. During the hilarious show, featuring supporting performances from New Kids on the Block singer Joey McIntyre, Bre Jackson, Eddie Korbich, J. Elaine Marcos, Jan Sport, Jujubee, Lagonna Blu, Luxx Noir London, Nick Laughlin, Remi Tuckman and Yair Keydar – feuding divas are forced to come together when their clubs are threatened.

Related: Joey McIntyre Jokes About Being the ‘Stereotypical Straight Guy’ on Off-Broadway Slide: The Musical (Exclusive)

In a fun chat with PEOPLE, Adams and Alaska discuss their fast friendship, how Adams finds her drag journey alongside a cast of seasoned queens, producer involvement. Lisa Minnelliand much more.

PEOPLE: Take me back to your first meeting.

Nick Adams: We met, I think, on our first day of reading three or four years ago in Los Angeles, when I first got there. But of course I knew Alaska because I was a famous and iconic drag queen, but also because we come from the same hometown. For me, it was just another layer of amazement that we shared this origin together and had never met at home. But I love that we have this bond and we often joke about it and mention Erie, Pennsylvania with each other.

Alaskan Thunder—: Yeah, how lucky are we that you accepted this role from the start? It’s so relatable that I can’t even really imagine anyone else doing this, because you were there from the beginning, and we started hearing it in your voice, and you’re that character for Me. We were very lucky with the casting. I don’t know how it all worked out and who found you, and I don’t know how it all happened, but I’m grateful that it did. And it’s also really crazy that we both grew up in Erie, Pennsylvania, not a big city, that we never knew each other, and now here we are.

PEOPLE: Nick is a bit of a Broadway veteran. Alaska, did Nick give you any advice on how to navigate the New York theater scene before the show debuted Off-Broadway?

Alaskan Thunder—: No, I’ve never heard of her. (Laughs) No, I’m joking. No, it was like New York was a different thing. I don’t know. I was really scared and intimidated because I feel like New Yorkers are really… they have Broadway right down the street so they can go see the best of the best stage in the world just in front of their door. New Yorkers know their shit and they’re kind of like, “This sucks. This is good.” And in my mind, it’s impossible to impress them. I was intimidated by that. But then, deep down, I think it was just the show, it’s the show and all we can do is the best version of what it is. I don’t know. What advice did you give me, Nick? I don’t fucking know.

Nick Adams: I think I have received more advice from you than I have given you, and it continues daily. The position I’m in, playing a drag queen in the company of titans in this art form, it’s the most terrifying, but also the best position I could be in because it’s like, of course, I will be alongside the greatest, but I will also learn from the greatest. And what better way to get to the heart of the matter than to do it with people who are at the top of this industry? And so that was very educational for me. I’m no stranger to drag, in the sense of Broadway drag (Adams starred in the original Broadway production of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert), what that represents, and I’ve been proud to be part of that legacy and to be able to do it many times, but it’s a different experience for me. This took it to the next level and it’s the real deal.

Every day in the dressing room, they still help me perfect my makeup, just little details that you don’t know unless you don’t know unless you know and unless you’re surrounded by these incredible creatures that are just the most… I have never looked forward to working as much as with this production because the camaraderie, the connection, the family that we have created, it is the perfect recipe for being human. The two hours we prepare for the show, it’s the most joyful work environment I’ve ever had.

PEOPLE: The show obviously relies on you both being equals. Alaska, were you surprised by Nick’s drag journey? He had some big heels to fill!

Alaska Thunderf—: Yeah, totally, but I’m impressed with Nick in general as an actor, singer and performer, really someone who is able to do it all and also go to the gym in one way or another. another one. I don’t know how that’s possible. But you’re a fucking machine, and you’re really, really good at doing the really hard work it takes to play this role, but also just doing stage shows like this, it’s really f- – — it’s hard. I am very impressed by this. And then to throw you in the deep end and say, well… because in LA, Nick had a makeup artist, so every night he would sit in the chair like RuPaul and get prepped by Aurora Sexton …which is a legend. But here it was like, “No, you’re going to have to do your own makeup. Ready, set, let’s go,” and Aurora taught Nick the basics and how to do it. And then it was, “Okay, your training wheels are off and you have to do this yourself, and we have a show tonight.” And I’m really, really blown away and impressed by how great you look on stage, because it’s tough. Drag makeup is difficult. Before cell phone cameras existed, I had years where I looked like shit, and that’s part of drag. But you look really great and you did a really good job.

Related: Liza Minnelli returns to her theatrical roots to produce DRAG: The musical Off-Broadway: “It’s so great”

PEOPLE: Has writing a musical always been a goal of yours, Alaska?

Alaskan Thunder—: No, it wasn’t on my bingo card when I started swiping, that’s for sure. In my early twenties, when I was in college, I was studying theater, so I was into all that, but I had friends who were in theater. To rent out soundtrack and listen to it Wicked soundtrack, and I was like, “This is really boring. Could you turn it off, please?” Now it was me who was an ignorant student. Now I’m obsessed and I get it, and I love everything. But I’ve always been drawn to the weirder, wackier musicals. I loved it Rocky Horrorand I loved it Hairand I loved it Divine spell. I love rock and roll musicals, and so that was my entry point.

But then go back to seven years ago, or eight years ago, whatever, Tomas (Costanza) and Ashley (Gordon), who I’d been making music with for a while, they said to me, “Do you want to work on this? musical with us?” and I said to myself, “Sure. Why not?” And then it became a thing, and I often do stuff and see if it becomes a thing or not. I could never have predicted that it would become this incredible, wonderful thing.

PEOPLE: How did Liza Minnelli’s involvement come about?

Alaskan Thunder—: Well, it all started with the voice. We had this voiceover, like an opening narrator, and we wanted it to be an iconic, recognizable voice, and we didn’t know who it was going to be or who would say yes or whatever. Somehow we got in touch with Liza Minnelli’s people. They were like, “She’s interested, but she wants to do more. She wants to do another voiceover part, and she doesn’t just want to do the voiceover part, she wants to be a production partner too.”

It was like, “Sure. Okay, yeah, we can make it happen.” It was like I really didn’t believe it until it was all signed and sealed and delivered, because I was like, “This is too good to be true.”

PEOPLE: It’s very moving to see all these drag queens on such a big stage off Broadway. What does it mean to offer them this platform?

AlaskaThunder- : It feels good, and I mostly feel gratitude, and I’m grateful to them for coming and doing this thing. I’m so grateful for my friends who happen to be multi-talented drag goddesses who believed in this thing enough in its early days to come and do it to really sh– pay, honestly, and just come and breathe life into and make it what it is. I’m truly grateful, and this wouldn’t exist without them. I feel really grateful for that.

PEOPLE: what’s next for Slide: The Musical? Do you want to take it to London…Broadway?

Alaskan Thunder—: Yeah, all of those things would be great. Sure, let’s do it. I’m just taking it as it comes, and I’m enjoying this process now, and whatever the next iteration is, I’m sure it will be great.

Nick Adams: What I think has been so incredible about this project personally is that I’ve been, over the years… my last show in New York was… I closed 12 years ago years. It was Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. It’s been a long time since I’ve done a show here, and it’s really emotional. I feel like I’ve been a part of a lot of things that almost happened and didn’t happen, or that sat in the pipeline for many years and then they lost funding, all of those things. This show, I just wanted to enjoy every step without expectation.