Baby Lame is a punk-horror-drag powerhouse. Baby spoke to QX ahead of her new show, Hit Me Baby One More Lame!, in which she plays Britney Spears in a hilariously unhinged punk odyssey, co-starring the entire audience.
Hello, Baby, it’s lovely to have you with us. When did you first decide to pursue a career as a performer, and what have been some standout moments in your career?
Believe it or not, I actually had quite a successful TV career before I decided to step into the world of Baby Lame. I was producing some pretty big shows by the time I was 26, but it definitely wasn’t as glamorous as it sounds. As you can imagine, the TV industry is full of very fake people and some complete arseholes, but my lowest moment came when I was working on Alan Titchmarsh’s tea time chat show and was forced to produce an item celebrating the ‘powerful leader’ Margaret Thatcher (I know what the actual fuck). To cut a long story short, I needed to rebel and escape the 9-to-5, so I started dabbling in some cabaret open mic spots, and Baby Lame was born!
Standout moments so far: performing my last solo show, Final Baby Girl! at Soho Theatre, completing a UK theatre tour as MC for the Circus of Horrors and continuing to produce large-scale queer club nights in London like Mariah & Friendz, Mimi’s and now SLAP!
What do you believe makes your style of performance unique?
I definitely think I’m part of a wave of performers trying to take drag back to its punky origins. I love being confrontational by mixing crude humour with gross-out moments, but not for shock’s sake alone — there’s always a stupid, heartfelt reason buried under all the mess. I take a lot from John Waters, Christeene, Dina Martina, David Hoyle — people who weren’t afraid to be ugly, weird, or genuinely embarrassing on stage. I’m not scared to look like a tit, and that’s exactly what makes it fun (for me and, apparently, for the audiences who keep coming back)
Your new show, Hit Me Baby One More Lame!, is about to preview at Divine before heading to Edinburgh. What can the audience expect from it?
For the first time ever, I will be presenting the 100% true (legally unauthorised) and never-before-told story of Britney Spears. There may have been some ’embellishments’ to the storyline, but it’s a full-on immersive experience – cramming in everything from murder to porny romance, Sigourney Weaver and of course all of Britney’s biggest bangers.
If you love Britney, you’ll love it! If you hate Britney? Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered too. My aim when making this show was to imagine what I would want a big Broadway spectacular to be; the ideas are huge, the budget less so – I can guarantee you will not know what’s about to hit you, baby!
I hear there will be audience interaction. Can you tell us more?
Well, obviously, there is only one person capable of playing the leading role of Britney (bitch) Spears, but it takes a village to execute my big creative vision, so my co-stars will be the entire audience. Everyone has a role in this show, whether that’s playing a love interest, creating gory special effects or extracting an alien from my derriere (yes, you read that correctly)… there’s something for everyone – we’re in this whole shindig together! Don’t let the audience participation turn you off, though. I’m pretty good at reading the room, so I won’t be forcing anyone to do anything – abig inspiration for this show was the classic Rocky Horror Picture Show screenings, so there’s plenty of silly props and stupid call and response moments for people watching.
What draws you to perform at The Divine?
I have been part of London’s underground cabaret scene for a long time now, and The Divine, much like its previous incarnation, The Glory, has always championed the weirdos and nutbags to create work. I’ve produced my Shit Show with these venues for over 10 years now. The programming there is experimental and messy, but also platforms lots of work that ends up getting picked up for bigger stages. Plus, who doesn’t love a basement? Fun, sexy and surprising things happen when performances are hidden away in the darkness… and trust me, I have got away with A LOT over the years!
After Hit Me Baby One More Lame!, what other projects do you have planned?
Oh baby baby, this Britney show isn’t going anywhere anytime soon! I’m going to say it now: this is my crossover moment. I’ve been hiding in the shadows for too long, and if the shockingly shit Michael Jackson movie can be the biggest biopic of all time, then surely I have a chance of some commercial success too? I’m always open to new projects, though, and am particularly enjoying doing my podcast ‘Camp Classics’ that I co-host with Drag Race UK star Crystal. It’s two unqualified drag queens dissecting camp cinema, ranging from Basic Instinct 2: Risk Addiction to Mommie Dearest. If you like stupid movies, you’ll love this!
Baby Lame: Hit Me Baby One More Lame comes to The Divine on 15th July: https://thedivine.co.uk/event/hitmebabyonemorelametheatre/ before a run at the Edinburgh Fringe https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/baby-lame-hit-me-baby-one-more-lame
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