Introducing the QX Cabaret Award Winners 2019!
By Jason Reid
OH what a night it was for the inaugural QX Cabaret Awards! After months of meticulous planning (and quite a few sleepless nights) we welcomed the great and the good of London’s cabaretti to the divine Hungerford House. Anyone who’s anyone was there – and the atmosphere was one of pure cabaret camaraderie.
Labels like ‘trad’ and ‘alt’ were dropped and everyone just came together to celebrate the fact that London’s cabaret scene is one of the best and most inclusive in the world. It’s not often I’m lost for words, but seeing west end queens mixed in with east london queerios, trans and non-binary artists, drag kings and queens, young and old, all genders, and feeling such an abundance of love in one room and receiving such glowing feedback from those in attendance, left me speechless. We do tend to group ourself off on the scene and it’s rare (if ever!) that we all come together like that – I was so happy (and relieved) it was a harmonious gathering.
The night’s proceedings were hosted by two of the best in the biz, Micheal Twaits and Son Of a Tutu. They complimented each other beautifully, and ensured the night ran super-smoothly but also with a necessary cabaret frenzy to keep the audience juiced up at all times. Guest performers Asifa Lahore and Holestar raised the roof with their BIG performances, both looking STUN – a female drag queen and trans drag queen that have both been performing alongside their peers for years, proving how out of touch RuPaul seemingly is.
The whole shindig was beautiful, but the moments that melted my steely heart included the first award of the night which went to Rhys’s Pieces (I almost blubbed less than ten mins in), Drag Syndrome LIVING their best life, and David Hoyle’s stirring and inspiring acceptance speech at the end of the night.
A heartfelt thanks from Chris Colman and I to everyone who supported us through the last few months and to those who attended and were involved with the QX Cabaret Awards. It was one of the proudest moments of my life so far.
Here are your 2019 winners…
Best Variety Act
Winner: Rhys’s Pieces
“Absolutely over the moon; flying through the stars and beaming like the sun. This award means so damn much to me as it feels like being seen by the cabaret world – which is my world. Cabaret and performance gave me a life and a purpose and continues to save me from darker places every day. I do wish my mum was here to see where I’ve got to but I’m chuffed she saw the beginning of me finding myself. To be honoured along with the other winners as well as all those nominated is to have a a place amongst giants. Our scene is rich and diverse and powerful.“
Event of the Year
Winner: Man Up Final
Adam All: “I’m thrilled that Man Up has been recognised; this event has been incredible and a real juggernaut in bringing drag kings exposure to the wider scene. And I thank The Glory, Jonny Woo and John Sizzle for their powerhouse support. And my darling co-host, Baby Lame.”
Show of the Year
Winner: An Evening Without Kate Bush
Sarah-Louise Young: “It was a huge honour to be amongst so much talent and joy. The whole event was a beautiful celebration of inclusivity and art culminating in the magnificent David Hoyle winning the Icon Award. Thank you to everyone who voted us Show of the Year, and congratulations to all the winners and nominees.”
Best Musical/Vocal Act
Winner: Le Gateau Chocolat
“I am incredibly humbled and honoured by this recognition – in a category of powerhouses. I relish the opportunity to use the platform responsibly. To make you laugh, cry, remember. To educate, to provoke, to distract, to enlighten…to share my truth as a plus sized, LGBTQ+ POC. Use your voice. Tell your story.”
Best Promoter/Producer
Winner: Jonny Woo
“What a great honour it is to win this award. Thanks to everyone that voted, and to everyone who comes to events I work on – whether at The Glory (John Sizzle working alongside me on these) or The Un-Royal Variety Show, or shows at The Soho Theatre. Well done to the other nominees and the independent producers who put their time, money and reputation on the line in order to create the very cabaret scene itself. Grateful and excited for the future. Queer cabaret has never looked so good.”
Best Host
Winner: Son Of a Tutu
“Being nominated by the public and then being judged ‘best’ by a panel of peers and industry experts is quite an astonishing experience and so I never expected to be amongst the honoured and privileged few accorded these accolades. I was truly shocked and it’s hard to find words to do justice to the degree of gratitude and joy brought on by this honour. Thank you QX Magazine readers and cabaret fans for getting me on the shortlist and, thank you panel for judging me worthy of the prize. I’m truly astonished, still. Much Tutu Love xxx”
Best Comedy Act
Winner: Myra DuBois
“How lovely (if slightly perplexing) to win “Best Comedy Act” (me, a singer?) at the inaugur… inouger… inurger… at the first QX Cabaret Awards! I accept this gong on behalf of ALL my fellow cis-gendered heterosexual white women who fight for visibility in LGBTQ+ venues, thank you. An extra trinket for the trophy room that’ll need dusting. Rose WILL be thrilled.”
Best Newcomer
Winner: Chanel No 5
“Completely shocked to have won best newcomer! Thank you to QX for putting on such a great event and to everyone who supported me and voted for me and who books me and has given me advice; I wouldn’t have been able to do it without the help that I’ve gotten from all of you. And special thanks to my other half, Rhys, without whom I would be a complete mess and probably dead in a ditch.”
Best Venue
Winner: Royal Vauxhall Tavern
James Lindsay: “We know how important the RVT is to LGBTQ+ people and that’s why our focus is always on ensuring its prosperity and vibrancy. We are thrilled with this award and dedicate it to our wonderful, very talented cabaret artists who take to our stage week after week and serve up challenging, exciting, entertaining, cutting-edge art. Thank you!”
Best Ongoing Cabaret
Winner: Bar Wotever
Lysander Dove: “Massive thanks to Jason Reid and everyone involved with the QX Cabaret Awards. It was a wonderful and inclusive night. Congratulations to all the winners and nominees. We are delighted that Bar Wotever won the Best Ongoing Cabaret award. Thank you to everyone who has supported us over the years and big love to our super talented and lovely resident performers, crew and DJs past and present. We’re well chuffed!”
Best Collective
Winner: Drag Syndrome
Daniel Vais: “It’s so freaking awesome to win Best Collective alongside other great stars and performance legends; we love it and we bloody deserve it. We like to entertain the masses on full force. We adore the public and thank everyone for voting for us. Big cheers to everyone who come to see us in action and we cant wait to see you all more.”
Best Drag Queen
Winner: Mary Mac
“Thrilled to receive this award in the very first QX Cabaret Awards, not only as recognition for the work I put into my act but it’s lovely that the cracking folks who come to see my show got the chance to vote and got me shortlisted and then fantastic that the panel deemed me the overall winner! There are tons of great acts out there and I feel very lucky to be working with them and even luckier to have won this award.”
Best Drag King
Winner: Adam All
“It is an absolute honour and a delight to have won an award for a job that I love, a job that has helped me to learn to embrace who I am and has allowed me to provide space and a platform for others.”
Trailblazer Award
Winner: The Cocoa Butter Club
Cassie Leon: “We would like to say a huge thank you to QX Cabaret Awards for presenting us with the first ever Trailblazer award. Thank you for recognising our contribution to cabaret, celebrating us and for understanding how important The Cocoa Butter Club platform is for QTIPOC. Thank you to everyone that voted, everyone who has booked us, and everyone who has ever bought a ticket and knows we ARE Trailblazers!”
Originality Award & Icon Award
Winner: David Hoyle
“A trillion thanks to Jason Reid and team for creating such an affirmative evening – one of the happiest of my life. I still can’t believe it. I shall remember with happiness. Sending love to all who received awards, attended the revelries. Wot a nite!”
The QX Cabaret Awards were in aid of LGBT+ homeless charity The Albert Kennedy Trust. To find out more about them, click here.
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