Almost two weeks ago we were in our audience for our first ever Eagles got Talent (which you can read about at https://rhysreviews.com/2024/03/17/eagles-got-talent-production-review/) where the performers paid homage to Ru Paul and the concept of camp. One of our favourite performers of that week was the fabulous AliBama who wrote their own original verse to the Ru Paul song “ASMR” lover but since then Ali has had to sadly leave the competition which we are absolutely devastated about. It would mean the absolute world to us if you could support their gender journey and support Ali by donating to their go fund page available at https://shorturl.at/clBDW) This week’s theme of Eagles Got Talent saw the contestants showcasing an outfit made entirely out of rubbish as well as a fifteen-minute set that must be made up of a song from a musical group and one song pre-selected for them by one of the judges.
Hosting the entire evening was the incredible Josefeela Ma Hunt who looked absolutely amazing in a gorgeous sparkly purple dress that glistened perfectly under the stage lights! Throughout the evening they made sure that the added twist of the audience voting for the act they wanted to eliminate this week was explained as well as getting the audience excited for every single act, making the performers very performer feel relaxed/at ease and passing over the judges for their critiques. On top of this Josefeela opened the show with two wonderful performances. The first was a solo performance of I Will Follow Him from Sister Act which is actually group number in the show so it fitted this week’s theme wonderfully. They decided to give it a little twist with some mature themes and gestures scattered throughout which the audience laughed at every single time! I personally think that it is brilliant when a judge/host allows fits the theme of the week’s challenge as it not only shows fantastic foresight but also establishes them as a credible judge for the rest of the performances! The second song was a beautiful rendition of “I Drove All Night” by Celine Dion alongside his partner a judge Lyndon with the two voices working wonderfully together!
The first competition to grace the stage was the fabulous Chae with a C (who you can watch our interview of at https://youtu.be/84KfWuZ8YMU?si=A9Z3EZZWBZlNTOQO) who wore an incredible cardboard outfit that was akin the the spiked outfit worn by the likes of the winning pair of Aquaria and Krystal during their time of Ru Paul’s drag race. Their first performance of the evening ring was a parody of “Gay Bar” by Electric Six but this time they re-wrote the lyrics to be all about Eagles which is the club they were performing to at the time. Similar to her performance during Hell Haus at Fuel (which you can read about at https://rhysreviews.com/2024/02/07/hell-haus-2-production-review/) this version of the song went down really well with the crowd as they loved the mention of the bar they were currently stood within. The second track from Chae was “This Wheels on Fire” by Kylie Minogue which was selected by one of the judges on the panel. I have to admit that this was not a song I am particularly familiar with by Chae fully embraced this song and managed to inject the perfect amount of comedy into the performance which was a highly entertaining performance.
Following Chae was the brilliant Rosie Bush who had created an outfit out of black rubbish bags. What was very interesting about this outfit in particular was the fact that it was torn off to reveal a gorgeous red gown which intercepted the theme into their performance while also adding a wonderful sense of theatrics to the routine. The first of their performance was the iconic “Bring Me to Life” by Evanescence which was a song selected by one of the judges. I thought that this was a wonderful song choice for a Rosie as it was an eccentric song that allowed her to use the audience to fill in the extra vocals in the song. An almost total contrast to this rock song, the next track Rosie had chosen was “Flying the Flag” by Eurovision icon Scooch. The highlight of this routine for me was the opening that saw Rosie showcase an air stewardess-inspired choreography and introduce everyone to the “Rosie Bush flight” which was a very fun inclusion to this performance. Following the Eurovision theme, their final performance saw Rosie select the vocally intense “Rise like a phoenix” by Conchita Wurst which was a bold song to end the fifteen-minute set. Having such a difficult song at the end of a fifteen-minute set would usually mean that the performer would start losing energy by Rosie delivered her unique brand of highly entertaining and camp performance style!
The random name selector wheel announced that after yet another fifteen-minute break we would be treated to a performance from the amazing vocalist Mikey Porter. They opened their set with an incredible live rendition of Monday Monday By The mamas and papas and started it by strutting through the audience which created a unique and exciting start for the viewers. As expected Mikey absolutely nailed the vocals throughout all of this performance but this week he flexed how hilariously funny he is. Throughout the set, he bantered with the judges (including a correction of the spelling you’re on a judge made sign), the host and even Rosie Bush all of which had the audience in hysterics. The judge’s choice for Mikey was “Ashes” by Celine Dion which I have to admit is not a song I am particularly familiar with but if Mikey’s rendition is anything to go by then it is an insanely beautiful song. This track allowed Mikey to showcase his lower register which was equally as stunning as the higher sections of the song which made for a very powerful performance. His final performance of the evening was of “Scared of the Dark” by Steps (who we saw almost a year ago at Brighton Pride which you can read about at https://rhysreviews.com/2023/08/10/brighton-pride-day-two-experience-review/) The dramatic opening of the song allowed Mikey to yet again flex his vocals talents with the more high-energy sections getting the audience up singing/dancing along which was a fabulous way to end his set!
The final performance this week was the incredible Sue De Crème (who recently performed at Draglings which you can read about at https://rhysreviews.com/2024/03/27/draglins-production-review/) I have to see that in turns of the costumes made from rubbish category, Sue was by far the most creative and impressive performer of the week. Not only had she created a wonderful dress out of subway/Taco Bell wrappers but also have crafted a massive matching bow and fan to complete the look. Her first performance was “Because I Want to” by Billie Piper which had the audience roaring the lyrics of the chorus at the performer. However, my favourite performance of her set was the family part classic “The Fast Food Song” which had everyone up dancing along. Sue appears to carefully consider her song choices every week to ensure the audience have the most fun which fundamentally is what drag shows are all about! Bring her set to an end with a live rendition of “Sweet Dreams (are made of this)” Eurythmics which is another crowd pleasure the audience thoroughly enjoyed!
In my previous review of Eagles Got Talent I talked about how the ending of the show was somewhat confusing with the sudden top two being told to lip-sync turned into a live performance but this week the team behind Eagles Got Talent stripped this all away. Instead of simply relying on judges’ votes, they decorated the venue with QR codes that once scanned opened up a form where the audience could vote on who they wanted to go home. This was a very exciting and innovative twist that allowed the audience to feel listened to and involved! It was announced that Mikey Porter would be the overall winner of the week which to me made total sense! After all the votes were counted, it was announced that at the other end of the competition, it would be Rosie Bush who would be leaving the competition this week. Being a relatively new performer, it has been fantastic seeing Rosie grow from week to week!
Overall, the semi-final of Eagles Got Talent allowed the performers to showcase what they do best. The inclusion of the judge’s choice songs was carefully selected to really let the performers shine which was absolutely fantastic to see! Eagles have clearly worked hard to ensure the closing moments were not as chaotic as my previous experience were allowing a very unique viewer voting experience. I would rate this experience 4 out of 5 stars!
Rhysreviews 
2 Comments