Rebecca Crankshaw Archives - Page 2 of 33

Pecs: Christmas Queer

Pleasance Theatre

Reviewed – 11th December 2020

★★★★

“a momentary haven of queer togetherness in what has been a challenging and isolating cultural landscape for many people this year”

Pecs, the drag king collective, has been around on the queer circuit for seven years now. The boys are arguably the best-known kings in town, and have built up a loyal fan-base for their brand of sexy and subversive comedy cabaret performance. Queer cabaret has been hit particularly hard by the pandemic – relying as it does on intimate club spaces – and so it was a joy to be back in a room with groups of friends sharing tables surrounding a stage, and to enjoy some of the back and forth interaction between performer and audience that has been so sorely lacking for most of this year. The Pleasance has done a terrific job of retaining a lively atmosphere, whilst operating within COVID-safe guidelines; an effort enjoyed last night by performers and punters alike.

The kings themselves are fabulous. The evening is hosted by the inimitable John Travulva, giving us his best Santa, and is loosely structured around the need to save Christmas for the dejected Loose Willis. Loose gives voice to many of the frustrations the audience has felt this year, and thus Santa John’s restorative skills are much-needed medicine for us all. The evening is sexy and joyful. There is old-school crooning: Scott Free’s fantastic rendition of Rocking Around the Christmas Tree; striptease: a smouldering Victor Victorious and an anarchic Loose giving us two entirely different takes; an audience game of charades; stand-up; dance routines and even a Paul Hollywood impersonation thrown in for good measure. In true drag style, this was a Glaswegian doing an impression of a Scouser, but with a Brummie accent, as (self-confessedly) Scouse is the one accent not in their armoury. The ridiculousness was heaven. And Paul was perfect. Obvs.

For all its light-hearted festive razzle dazzle, Christmas Queer did also have the feeling of something essential. Pecs at The Pleasance was a momentary haven of queer togetherness in what has been a challenging and isolating cultural landscape for many people this year. When the lighters and the phones came out for the final number – East 17’s Stay Another Day – there was a feeling of genuine love underneath the silliness. And what could be more Christmassy than that?

Reviewed by Rebecca Crankshaw

Photography by Stephen Allwright

Pecs: Christmas Queer

Pleasance Theatre until 12th December part of Queer Christmas Cabaret running until 22nd December

Previously reviewed at this venue:

The Unseen Hour | ★★★★ | October 2019

Escape From Planet Trash | ★★★ | November 2019

Land Of My Fathers And Mothers And Some Other People | ★★★★ | November 2019

Madame Ovary | ★★★★★ | November 2019

Endless Second | ★★★ | November 2019

Heroin(e) For Breakfast | ★★★★★ | November 2019

Wireless Operator | ★★★★ | November 2019

Tom Brace | ★★★½ | December 2019

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★★★

“Myra is a seasoned pro, but her oxygen is a live audience”

Myra DuBois, or ‘The Siren of South Yorkshire’ as she describes herself, has been dispensing her particular caustic brand of wit and wisdom on London stages for the past 12 years, from well-known queer cabaret spaces like the Royal Vauxhall Tavern to the Soho Theatre and the Southbank Centre. A Problem Shared is Myra’s gift to us all in lockdown, allowing us to tweet in with our problems and receive personalised advice; reminding us, always, to breathe in with resentment and out with gratitude.

Once the show starts, we find ourselves in Myra’s office, complete with glitter curtain, a decanter of gin, and her downtrodden sister and assistant Rose Lavender manning the phone. It is definitely worth tuning in a little early however, to see the marvellous pre-show adverts: Legal Help from Norfolk & Chance; Rose Lavender’s signature perfume ‘with high notes of lavender and rose with a hint of sensual Rotherham’ to name but two. The show is basically Myra’s take on a simple Agony Aunt format with a few little surprises thrown in – a couple of hand-delivered letters through the glitter curtain and a wonderful appearance from the evil Miss Corona Virus herself, who, resplendent in green, regales us with a topically updated version of Peggy Lee’s Fever.

Myra is a seasoned pro, but her oxygen is a live audience. Watching her at Johnny Woo’s wonderful UnRoyal Variety Show a couple of years ago reduced this reviewer to helpless tears, whereas last night’s small screen performance at the kitchen table only mustered a few little chortles. And therein lies the problem. Drag and cabaret performers NEED a live audience. The lifeblood of this kind of show is the unscripted arch comeback, and the heady rush of boozy laughter. The energy of queer performance in particular comes from the joy and ownership of shared space; the subversive power of being in the majority for once and taking over the gaff. God knows it’s a much-needed energy right now, and power to Myra for doing her bit to keep the show on the road, but let’s bloody hope she can take her rightful place back in a roomful of revellers before too much longer.

Reviewed by Rebecca Crankshaw

Photography by Holly Revell

Pleasance Theatre

Reviewed – 11th December 2020

★★★★

“a momentary haven of queer togetherness in what has been a challenging and isolating cultural landscape for many people this year”

Reviewed by Rebecca Crankshaw

Photography by Stephen Allwright

Pecs: Christmas Queer

Pleasance Theatre until 12th December part of Queer Christmas Cabaret running until 22nd December

Previously reviewed at this venue:

Online

Reviewed – 25th November 2020

★★★

“Myra is a seasoned pro, but her oxygen is a live audience”

Reviewed by Rebecca Crankshaw

Photography by Holly Revell

Myra DuBois: A Problem Shared

Online via www.myradubois.co.uk

There is one more performance on Christmas Eve which will be a pre-record

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