She’s a woman on a mission
Comedy queen Cynthia Seaward is preparing to host a very special night of cabaret fundraising in aid of Cancer is a Drag at Vauxhall’s world-renowned LGBT+ venue, the RVT.
This week, Jason Reid and Cynthia talk starting out, fun gigs, the drag dream and more…
How did you get into drag performance?
It was a very gradual percolation throughout my youth, as a way of expressing my influences and humour. In sixth form, I went to college in drag for Comic Relief. Then I was Dame Trot in an an amateur pantomime. Then I sang the Ballad Of Barry and Freda in drag for a module at uni. THEN finally Cynthia (then Longerthanu) emerged as an actual queen for free drinks and attention. After that, much like the Library of Alexandria, the rest was history.
What’s been your most fun gig to date?
Not to blow my own trumpet but I have the most fun at my monthly Tuckmaster shows. I rip off the format of Taskmaster from off of the telly-box, and do it live with drag artists. It’s hell to organise and come up with the tasks and games, but during the actual gig, I just get to sit there, drink heavily, and judge while the guests do all the hard work.
And your proudest achievement as a drag artist?
All I wanted when I moved to London was to start drag, immerse myself in the queer communities that I had always dreamed existed in the big city. In the three years I’ve lived here, I’ve made lasting connections, fleeting hook-ups, and discovered how to be the best, truest version of myself. At the end of last year, I made the decision to quit my day job, and since then I’ve managed to support myself through drag and performance (albeit mainly eating ramen two meals a day). That’s all I really ever wanted.
Do you think there should ever be boundaries in comedy?
My philosophy, mainly stolen from John Finnemore, is to be kind and have fun. I don’t think any subject in comedy should be strictly taboo, but I definitely subscribe to the idea that it’s better to punch up than to kick down with your jokes. If you know enough about any subject and can talk about it without resorting to broad generalisations or picking on the victims, then you’re probably able to write a good joke about it. I always think that if someone’s offended or upset by a joke you told, it means you haven’t told a very good joke.
What makes you proper belly laugh?
I always enjoy volleying Victoria Wood quotes with Kate Butch, but that’s not very current. I really like Archer at the moment. It’s low-brow crass and obscurely intelligent at the same time, which is something that resonates with me on nine of my thirteen levels. Also Vines. Kids still like Vines, right? That’s still a thing?
What’s the drag dream?
To be the first drag queen on Doctor Who. And before anyone writes in; no Paul O’Grady in The Stolen Earth didn’t count because it wasn’t him as Lily.
Tell us about the upcoming Cancer is a Drag event you’re hosting at the RVT.
So I don’t know if you’ve twigged this, but my surname sounds like the C-Word. People always think I’m talking about see-you-next-Tuesday, but it’s actually a way of wearing my status as a cancer survivor on my sleeve while also enjoying a stupid pun. I had Stage 4 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma when I was 24 and had to go through the whole chemotherapy rigmarole for the best part of a year. Through that, I got in touch with the charity Cancer Is A Drag, who were super supportive and helped me get back on my feet. Cancer affects so many of us, so now we’ve basically decided we’re sick of it. I’m hosting RVT vs The C-Word where a line-up including Meth, Rose Garden, and Rhys’ Pieces are going to fight cancer though the medium of drag and also some ridiculous games. It’s going to be a huge event and everyone who comes gets a free bag of chemo to take home (joke!) I’m so excited and I can’t wait to create a show as big and insane as the venue.
Cynthia Seaward will be hosting RVT vs the C-Word on Thursday 20 June at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, 372 Kennington Lane, London SE11 5HY.
