I never thought I’d do drag for a living,” says the six-foot-two muscleman wearing a Meat Rack cap, industrial strength necklace, a black tank-top and an anchor tattoo on his bulging bicep.

Jeffrey Roberson had just finished his daily workout at the gym—where he lifted weights, bench pressed 300 and squatted until his glutes cried “uncle”—and was now taking a breather from the sweat and the strain with an iced tea by the pool.

He was beginning his second week of his latest show in Palm Springs—his celebration of immunizing, called  “Little Prick”—where he would transform himself from butch to bitch as Varla Jean Merman, his drag creation of meaty coquetterie that after more than three decades in bars, clubs and theaters worldwide has achieved drag pioneer status.

“Varla is truly a legend who achieved her success the old-fashion way: word of mouth,” says Jacques Lamarre, who has co-written many of Roberson’s shows. “Not to diss RuPaul’s queens who became instant international successes, but Varla achieved her success one fan at a time, with person after person saying to their friends, ‘You just have to see this performer.’ ”

Varla’s ingenue days may be behind her—with those sizable guns, sleeveless chiffon frocks are definitely out—but the piercing wit and assassin asides are as dragtastic as ever. She has now aged into one tough dame…yet one who can still giggle, wiggle and shine with a vengeance.

But in RuPaul’s World of Wonder, can a 50-plus-year old gal still make it on her own?….|CONTINUED|