It comes as a shock to many people when I inform them that I only saw my first drag show around two years ago which was headlined by drag race icons Utica and Denali (which you can read about at https://rhysreviews.com/2021/09/22/denali-and-utica-tour-review/) supporting the two international queens was none other than the Cardiff based drag icon Jolene Dover and since then I have seen them perform at/host a plethora of event. Jolene has built a name for herself in Cardiff for being an absolute powerhouse on the mic with their naturally charismatic personality shining especially in the more intimate venue of tonight Josephine. What I wasn’t fully aware of however was how much of a talented vocalist she truly is! The show opened with an incredible rendition of “Gimme, gimme, gimme” where Jolene delivered wonderful vocals while owning every inch of the room. She was absolutely captivating to watch with the perfect sprinkling of comedic moments throughout the entire evening! Alongside Jolene was the wonderful west end star Hayley Gallivan who was dressed in the most gorgeous sparkly jumpsuit that paid homage to the iconic Swedish band we were there to celebrate. The two hosts’ voices worked beautifully together with their rendition of SOS being a particular treat with the sheer amount of flawless riffs scattered throughout! These two performers clearly have a fantastic connection both during the show and behind the scenes as they were visibly having private laughs/inside jokes throughout. The closing moments of the ABBA brunch contained a high-energy, whistle-stop tour of many of ABBA’s most iconic tracks that had everyone up singing and dancing which was a joy to experience. Helping to make sure that the right tracks were played, the lighting cued and the hosts were kept updated in terms of time restraints was the amazing Nick Smith who also clearly had a fantastic connection with the two hosts!
A highlight of the ABBA brunch experience was that the staff went above and beyond to make sure every single person had the best time. The staff were constantly circulating to make sure everything was okay and checking for drink top-ups. In fact ten minutes before the event closed, a lovely staff member came over to give us the ten-minute warning and to check if we wanted a final jug of the delicious porn-star spritz which showed incredible helpfulness and attention! As a part of the brunch package, we were able to pre-order a meal of our choice which was very welcomed considering the sheer amount of alcohol that was consumed in the hour slot. I opted for a delicious halloumi burger (which was a little to spicy for me personally) but the particular highlight was the gorgeous chips. I do have to admit that the pulled pork burger my friend had ordered looked absolutely amazing and so that is on my hit list the next time I attend this event. Talking about future visits, I have since been made aware that there is an ABBA brunch earlier in the day that lasts two hours (double the time of the one we attended) which means double the amount of ABBA classics and endless drinks! When I was looking around for a bottomless brunch to good to I did notice that this one at Tonight Josephine was slightly higher than the average in the area (at £39 per person) however once I got to the venue this made total sense! While an hour of free-flowing drinks, delicious food and wonderful entertainment on its own was totally worth the ticket price, had we known about this longer session then we probably chosen this one which would make the slightly higher price even more worth it!
Overall, the Mamma Mia: reloaded bottomless brunch was a fabulous celebration of one of the most iconic groups to ever exist! The intimate venue allowed Jolene to truly showcase herself to ensure every person felt included by circulating the room and demonstrating her quick wit with hilarious audience banter. Both Jolene and Hayley were able to showcase their incredible vocal talents with the two voices blending wonderfully together! The slightly higher price of the event was justified due to the tasty food, fabulous drinks and amazing entertainment but I do think that next time we will ensure to go to the two-hour performance to get even more value for my money! I would rate this experience 5 out of 5 stars!
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