24/02/11: Not since Charles tied the knot with Di have we seen hype like that surrounding Will and Kate’s wedding. I’m guessing one of the Queen’s strong points is marketing, resourcefully boosting declining tourism. So, with cabaret now exploding all over the city, we asked a more theatrical queen, “how’d you solve a problem like… standing out from the crowd?” “We are a company that wants to generate the excitement that people used to feel with cabaret,” Spike Rhodes excitedly told me after the show. The company ‘Drama Queens’ has been together a year and half, conceived through love of cabaret, nurtured through sheer hard work and the desire to entertain and keep cabaret alive. Months of rehearsals fitting around the actors’ everyday lives all come together in this tour de force, and believe me, tonight cabaret was truly alive and kicking, proof of this in the audiences raucous laughter and applause.
Only someone who has grown up immersed in popular culture could have dreamt it up. This drag version of the classic was so cleverly put together, full of cultural comedic referencing, abundant with wry nods towards ‘Rocky Horror’, ‘Evita’, ‘The Exorcist’, Vicky Pollard, Lauren ‘am I bovvered?’ Cooper, Diana Ross, Lily Allen and Gwen Stefani naming just a few. All skillfully entwined with an original script, delivered with passion, unadulterated hilarity and perfect comedic timing.
So your invite for the 29th April must have got lost in the post? Don’t worry, everyone’s invited to the ‘Drama Queens’ next production in a couple months based on burlesque, and I’ll be in the front row.
The Black Cap, 171 Camden High Street, NW1
Words by Peter Stephanou
Photos by DosFotos
