02/11/13: I would like to say that on Saturday afternoon the QX Cabaret Posse headed to the Hackney Empire for the Halloween Ball, but as most of them were still hung over from Friday’s Cancer is a Drag charity night at the Windsor Castle, I was flying solo!
Luckily I bumped in to Va Va Voom boy Neil on the way there so had a glamorous travel companion to distract me from my Mills & Boon and all too soon we found ourselves in E8. It was my first time at the Empire, a gorgeous theatre by master architect Frank Matcham with no less than three balconies, and a brilliant venue for the Halloween Ball with the London Gay Men’s Chorus, the London Gay Big Band, La Voix and the aforementioned Va Va Voom Boys.
For the whole two hour show the stage was packed with musicians and singers with La Voix acting as hostess, narrator and mother/nanny to a 9 year old girl! A medley of her divas paraded across the stage from Liza to Cher via Tina and more.
The LGMC were bow-tied for act one but then spookified in Halloween costumes for act two with a set list ranging from Mack The Knife to Bat Out Of Hell and a Rocky Horror Medley while all the music and accompaniment came live from the LGBB high up on rostra at the back of the stage. There was even a couple of brilliant numbers from multi-Olivier Award winner Maria Friedman.
There was superb singing, dancing boys, comedy, costumes, blood and gore, but sadly it was only on for two nights and was definitely deserving of a wider audience.
Hackney Empire, 291 Mare Street, E8 1EJ
Words and photos by Chris Jepson
