HOMOPROBIA! is a dark clown cabaret show conceived and performed by Carl and features a drag alien dance disaster called Niche Lorraine. Expect routines, lip syncs, costume confusions, and a few too many wigs as the sad little slaylien Niche tries to understand what motivates us to get up and, at times, feel down. The show opens from 6 to 8 March 2025 at Soho Theatre.
Hi Carl, we met you during lockdown while you were doing your fitness classes online. It was a huge success, but that now seems like another age. What have you been doing since then?
Gosh, gayrobics in my bedroom. That was the most action that room got during lockdown. I miss it truth be told. Since the world opened up again, I’ve gone back to theatre, working on some fab cabaret shows, dance work and hosting a few Pride events with the gorgeous people at Curious Arts up north. Oh, and I directed a fashion show for Valentino which was equal parts terrifying and exciting—got a free T-shirt and everything.
Your new show at Soho Theatre sounds really unusual and interesting. What is the inspiration behind HOMOPROBIA!
Homoprobia! is a chaotic cabaret about normality – how we can all go through the motions of our own life – working, partners, haircuts. Sometimes we do what we should, not what we really want and Homoprobia! is an invitation to rethink that – all done with lots of colour, camp, wigs, pop music and some very fast costume changes.
Tell us more about Niche Lorraine.
Niche Lorraine is a hot mess. A gaylien in human drag. A dance disaster at turbo speed. She’s come all the way from Uranus on a trip called the Study of Lost Adult Gays and Girls (S.L.A.G.G).
She can see right into everyone’s black holes, and she’s telling you now, spiritually, you need to douche.
I came up with her as a way to dig into the nooks and crannies of our shared anxieties, hopes and dreams, I felt like being an alien (a drag alien!) was a great way to explore this – she’s seeing it all for the first time. Also, it allowed me to change wigs 5 times in one hour. Sweaty.
Have you settled on a career in cabaret, or are there other areas of your creativity that you would like to explore?
I love cabaret, its immediacy, its wonkiness and its truth-telling. I also love to host and am working towards more of that next year. Community Pride events make my heart sing. I think it’s tempting to move towards one thing and say, ‘This is what I do,’ but I like to put my fingers in lots of pies (ahem). What I think I’m searching for is a way to connect us all – be it cabaret, aerobics classes, writing or just a good old night out.
What advice would you give to somebody who is setting out on a career in cabaret?
Have another job first! Lol. It can start penniless but in a way that is quite freeing creatively. Turn up to things, share your ideas, be ok to fail, get a gig, any gig. Try again! People say life is short but I think life is actually very long so why not try and give it a go and see how it makes you feel. Plenty of time to do something else if it doesn’t work out.
How do you go about getting a gig at a venue like Soho Theatre?
The people at Soho are very nice! I messaged them with the idea a while back. We had a meeting, I went away and made the show. Then, they saw me in another show I choreographed and performed in called 0800 CUPID (Emer Dinee, PopBaby) which was on at Soho Theatre. The lovely Lee took a chance on me and gave me three nights so here I am. What is that phrase? Say yes, and….
What other projects are you working on?
I’m actually heading to South Korea this summer to be the associate director for Sleep No More Seoul for Punchdrunk Theatre. Big fancy job. I also run a fun, camp t-shirt business with my good friend But, called Branded + Moniker. That keeps us busy.
Lastly, what can an audience expect when they come to HOMOPROBIA!?
60 minutes of camp cabaret chaos. I’m a dancer first and foremost so there’ll be lots of routines (Britney, Abba, Devo, Ethel Merman), six wigs and four costume changes. We will scrutinise the every day – the job, the partner, the haircut, uncover all the things we think but don’t say. I might get naked and you also get a free bag of crisps. What’s not to love?
Niche Lorraine: HOMOPROBIA! runs from 6 to 8 March 2025 at Soho Theatre, 21 Dean Street, London W1D 3NE, United Kingdom.
