British comedy icon spills the tea on the state of the queer scene
Ooooh man, we LOVE THE CAKE! Like, who doesn’t? That’s rhetorical, Pat. January is traditionally a relatively quiet month on the scene but that’s about to drastically change. Two icons of the LGBTQ+ world – Matt Lucas and The Royal Vauxhall Tavern – have joined forces and are staging a one- night-only extravaganza in aid of The Albert Kennedy Trust.
This week, Jason Reid wolfed down the last of the Christmas Dundee cake and got on the blower to Matt to find out what to expect on the night, expectations of working with drag queens and the inescapable…Brexit.
Hey Matt! Thanks for taking time out to chat. This upcoming charity event you’re hosting at the RVT looks like a lot of fun. Is this the first time you’ve worked with the Tavern?
I appeared at an event there about five years ago (Burger Queen). But
this event is happening in response to recent cases both here in the U.K. and the USA in which gay couples who had requested wedding cakes in a particular way were refused by the owners of the businesses on religious grounds, and some of those cases were taken to the High/Supreme Court. So I thought it would be nice to have a night celebrating gays and cakes – because gays and cakes are two of the best things in the world.
The idea to collaborate came about from a Twitter exchange between yourself and the RVT; which shows Twitter can be a force for good.
Twitter is a bit of a jungle. But good things can happen in that jungle. And this feels like taking something bad (those court rulings – which are definitely bad for us as LGBT+ people) and making something good from them. We’re gonna raise as much as we can for The Albert Kennedy Trust and eat lots of very, very gay cakes.
There’s also gonna be drag queens and cabaret acts performing. Are you excited about working with that lot?
I’m mildly terrified but excited to share the stage with them. It’ll be an evening of colour and fun and positivity.
Could you be convinced to possibly drag up on the night as well?
Oh my word! I’ve dragged up A LOT in my life. So I’m very happy to do this particular event in civvies. You never know though, I might find myself with a bit of lippy on…let’s see how the mood takes me.
I think so, especially after a few glasses of wine. You recently did another event with The Albert Kennedy Trust. How did you get involved with them?
Tim Sigsworth who runs the trust approached me initially, and yes a few weeks ago we did a big gay quiz to raise money. The great thing about that was, the Trust is there to help young, gay people who’ve found themselves without the support and a place to live and the tickets were £25 which is what it costs to take someone off the streets for a night and offer them somewhere to stay and something to eat. Everyone who attended that event left knowing they had made a difference to someone’s life.
It’s awful to think that this is still a reality for some people in the U.K. because they’ve been abandoned merely because of their sexuality.
Absolutely. It’s shocking because there’s been so much progress for LGBTQ+ people in this part of the world and we tend to think that it’s other parts of the world where there’s still issues around civil rights for gay people, and we fully extend our sympathies outwards but actually there are very many people in this country who still cannot come out without being chucked out of their homes, quite frankly. And that’s why this trust us so vital. So yes, we’re gonna be having fun and eating cake and dragging up, but we’ll also be raising funds for a very important cause.
If you were only allowed to eat one type of cake forever, what would it be and why?
I think it would have to be a rainbow cake because I love all the colours of the rainbow. But I’d like one where every layer has a different flavour. My auntie Dennie, who’s ninety-five, makes wonderful cakes. I could probably eat her apple cake for the rest of my life.
Finally, what’s your wishes for the world in 2019?
In the U.K. I’d wish for an end to the crazy tribalism that we have in the country right now where people with different views are not even talking to each other; instead choosing to dehumanise. Clearly Britain is going through a very difficult time because of Brexit and I just wish we could all talk in a civilised fashion, because at the moment we’re just shouting at each other and that’ll get us nowhere.
Matt Lucas will be hosting Let Us Eat Cake on Wednesday 9 January at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, 372 Kennington Lane, London SE11 5HY.
