QX PREVIEW: Escape From Planet Trash

The new queer Christmas panto feat. drag queens, giant space spiders and more!

When Rankin shoots the drag cast of a panto, HAS queer culture peaked? Yes! This is the peak of queer culture right here, right now. You’re in it, you’re experiencing it, you’re reading it. You’re welcome!

The panto in question is ESCAPE FROM PLANET TRASH. “Panto” might be doing it a bit of a disservice actually. It’s more a festive commentary on LGBT rights and the state of our planet, with songs, dancing, drag queens, comedy, a live score and giant space spiders, obvs.

It’s from the mellifluous mind of Ginger Johnson (the gorgeous creature on our front cover, hey Ginger!) who wrote and direcred it, and stars in it. It also stars bearded beauty Maxi More, East London legend Lavinia Co-op and drag star Mahatma Khandi (best name EVER) as well as David Cumming and Mairi Houston.

It sounds totally bonkers – in the run up to Christmas, the fictional and fetid Planet Trash faces a sparkly holiday threat in the form of an approaching SOLAR FLARE – only a merry band of queer space miscreants can save the planet, as well as Ginger Johnson, a trash(ed?) resident refusing to return home.

It’s all brought to you by UNSTOPPABLE drag collective Sink The Pink, who are always taking over the world but have been taking over the world even more than usual this year, going on an actual tour with an actual Spice Girl, Mel C! AND they’ve released a single with her, High Heels, out now on Youtube, Spotify, iTunes and all other good streaming platforms *RuPaul wink*.

Here’s an added bit of trivia – it’s playing at The Pleasance Theatre, where they filmed they episode of Ab Fab where Zaffy put on a play! So you can stumble in like Eddie and Patsy drunk and sit at the back and shout “PISS OFF!” (don’t actually do that – these are very hard working theatre people and also, unfortunately, behaving like Eddie and Patsy IRL is unacceptable).

SO go see Escape From Planet Trash – it’s colourful, it’s inventive, it’s irreverent and most importantly, it steams with hilarious heart. God knows we all need a little heart right now!


NORMAL SHOWINGS:

  • Tuesday – Saturday weekly throughout November.
  • Tuesday – Sunday weekly throughout December.

Standard tickets £30.


SPECIAL SHOWINGS:

  • Tuesday 26th November The History of Sink The Pink: Join Co-founder Glyn Fussell and guests for a special Q&A about the history of STP, and what›s in store for the future!
  • Tuesday 3rd December Meet the cast: Meet the cast of Escape From Planet Trash! Hosted by Terri Paddock.
  • Tuesday 10th December From the Club to the Stage: A special Q&A with Writer / Director / Performer Ginger Johnson, Musical Director Sarah Bodalbhai and Sound Designer Alicia Jane Turner, on how the team queered Christmas. Chaired by Pleasance Head of Theatre Nic Connaughton, with special guests from RAZE Collective.
  • Tuesday 17th December Sink The Pink sing Christmas Carols: Join the cast and creative team for a few rounds of your favourite Christmas carols!

Escape From Planet Trash is at The Pleasance Theatre, Carpenters Mews, N7 9UF. Head to pleasance.co.uk for full listings and tickets.

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