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A glitzy triumph of talent, fusing musical brilliance with drag sass and heartfelt themes of acceptance. Summary
Rating
Excellent
Queenz is a force that has been growing momentum and a fan base over the last three years, starting at the Edinburgh fringe and ending up in the West End for a one night performance at a sold out Dominion Theatre.
At first glance the five performers in tonight’s show are convincingly fierce drag queens, but looking at their bios at least four of them are also accomplished theatre actors (Ben Sell, Mark McCredie, Joshua Pearson, Jonathon Hands), with one of them (Craig Colley) having a background as a performer on cruise ships before embarking on a nine year career in drag.
This sassy, classy and flashy show is non-stop and full of musical delights, demonstrating the live vocal skills of their alter-egos Bella Du Ball (Sell), Billie Eyelash (Colley), Dior Montay (McCredie), Candy Caned (Pearson) and Zeze Van Cartier (Hands). They’re supported by Super Swing Summer Storm (Alexander Gage) in the audience and the fabulous and uncredited ‘Jamie’ acting as stage hand and foil for the many comedy moments, including some ‘blink-or-you’ll-miss-it’ visual gags – brilliantly scripted by Joe Leather, David Greigo and Kieran Powell.
This is a show that really delights in being in the wonderful surroundings of the Dominion Theatre, with outstanding lighting, set and costume throughout. The Queenz dazzle in group numbers and continue to shine in their solo spotlight performances in Act Two. The stand out moments are the medleys and mashups, brilliantly crafted by Alex Turney and Arj Chawanja. The ‘Musical Madness’ that ends Act One is a highlight, blending together 20 songs from musical theatre in seven minutes, the lyrics changed to reflect the Queenz’ experience. With drag queen shade, camp and good humoured rudeness, this is exceptional.
The only issue with tonight’s performance was the sound. At times the mix of backing track and live performance wasn’t right and the clarity of the vocal was lost. Sometimes this meant audience responses were delayed or humour was missed, and this was disappointing. Having said that, it did not dilute the audience response overall – I have never been to a show where the audience gave long standing ovations at multiple times throughout the night. The atmosphere was intoxicating and not a drop of alcohol touched my lips!
Queenz isn’t a show with a storyline, it is a series of great theatrical performances by some extremely talented performers; but it does have overarching themes of acceptance, affirmation, genuine cast warmth and universal inclusion. It also encourages full audience participation with moments of comedic interaction. There were times when the lyrics really spoke to me, evoking genuine emotions. This was especially true of the Cyndi Lauper classic ‘True Colours’, which followed a speech by the clearly emotional McCredie, reflecting the impact of their three year journey and the deafening Dominion audience responses.
This may have been the last night of this tour but Queenz will be taking up residency at Soho’s Underbelly Boulevard before embarking on a new tour, Queenz – Drag Me to the Disco!, starting in the autumn. I’m certain you will be entertained, elevated and have an exceptional time!
Creative Director: David Griego
Musical Director: Alex Turney
Music Producer: Arj Chawanja
Creative Associate & Production Manager: Kieran Powell
Choreographers: Kieran Dailey Ward, Craig Colley, Stuart Rogers, Many Razor, Lewis Game
Comedy & Script Writers: Joe Leather, David Greigo, Kieran Powell
Costume Design & Creation: Rikki Finley, James Morecroft, Studio Kiki, Harry Whitham, James Maciver Costumes
Head of Wigs & Makeup: Misty Rose Lighting & Sound Design: Nikki Dikinson, Kieran Powell
Queenz was a one night only performance at the Dominion Theatre.
Further information about the residency and the tour, including bookings, can be found here.
