As has become expected from any cabaret of queerosities show, the entire event was hosted by the overwhelmingly talented Ice Amour. From the moment they stepped onto the stage they looked absolutely incredible in their black and white stoned ensemble (which was actually created by Ice and their drag daughter) with the most incredible crystallised wig masterpiece (made by Ice themselves! You can actually check out more of their wonderful wig creations at https://www.instagram.com/wigs_amour as they got the audience hyped for each and every drag performance. Their rendition of Skater Boy by Avril Levine was such a classic show for this style of event with every single person belting the lyrics as Ice danced around the stage. Not only did Ice host and perform at this event but they also organised the entire thing. What is particularly brilliant about this series of shows is the fact that it is made for and by local drag talent. In fact, two of the performers belong to the Amour dynasty which is Ice’s drag family and so it truly is made for and by the community. I do have to say that people who are familiar with Ice know that it is not an ice amour show unless they are able to pull out that iconic, thunderous jumping, spinning splits. This time however the audience had to make sure they were on their best behaviour thought as Ice showcased this move in the closing moments of the show. I do not care how many times I see this move as it will forever leave me in total awe and is always an absolute spectacle to watch!
The first iteration of Cabaret of queerosities (which you can read about at https://rhysreviews.com/2023/12/26/cabaret-of-queerosities/ saw Anniben take to the stage and showcase a unique drugged-up version of Father Christmas as they sprinted around Fuel’s performance area. As a matter of fact, we were actually lucky enough to chat with Anniben after the event to chat about the inspiration for this performance which you can watch at https://youtu.be/R4huS0YgI0w?si=PQlTYQYEljRxRuto. This time however they decided to go even more outlandish with a narrative of falling in love with items of clothing. A booming voice echoed around the venue to inform the audience that the artist known simply as Anniben had fallen into despair and began developing feelings for their undergarments. This unusual breaking news style bulletin was a fabulous inclusion as it hinted towards what the audience were about the witness but nothing could prepare them for what was actually sent! This led to a brilliant moment in the act where Anniben revealed a mask, adored with said items of clothing, and unapologetically showed everyone how they felt. This escalated as cream was introduced and smeared over Anniben (and the stage itself) which obviously represented to intense feelings they had towards the clothes. You never truly know what to expect from an Anniben but it is always highly entertaining and a spectacle to watch! We could not be more excited for Anniben’s original show “Altered States” to land at Wales Millenium Centre on … and if you are interested to catch the show you can do so at https://www.wmc.org.uk/en/whats-on/2024/altered-states
Another queen we were actually lucky enough to also chat to Ivory Glam after their top four performance during Etta’a drag marathon season two which you can listen to at https://youtu.be/DkydmBZr3J8?si=AfvT_cUHO6B0Q0IH Their opening performance saw them showcase their campy and extravagant side of their personality as we saw splits, comedy and death drop galore. In fact, the latter was one of the most elegant death drops we have ever seen! One of my favourite performances of the entire night however came from Ivory Glam as they stripped back all the theatrics to showcase their incredible vocal talents. Their rendition of I’m a creep by Radiohead was absolutely beautiful with the perfect sprinkling of comedic moments throughout. It must have been incredibly terrifying to take on such a vocally challenging song especially when the audience are purely focused on the singing but Ivory did not seem fazed in the slightest! She seemed totally at home controlling the stage with a pure vocal showcase and the two juxtaposing acts allowed the audience to see how much of a versatile performer Ivory really is!
In the Christmas version of this event, Chae with a C orchestrated a game of the iconic pass the parcel with saw audience members summoned to the stage to see the range of unique prizes they had won. We also managed to chat to Chae with a C after this event to talk about their debut on the fuel stage which you can watch at https://youtu.be/84KfWuZ8YMU?si=htqHipES4jozbbDb This time around however, Chae decided to orchestra a unique version of Deal or No Deal that the other performers brandishing a selection of bags and random audience members were selected to pick which bag they would like to open up. This led to a range of prizes being announced such as a signed piece of paper, ten cocktail stirrers and one of those sticky figures you throw at the wall! If there is one thing that Chae knows how to do well it is leading audience participation segments with every single person excitedly checking their tickets in the hopes of being called up and vigorously cheering whoever was selected. Later Chae delivered a rendition of You Spin Me Right Round by Deadoe Alive and the audience seemed to love every second that the queen of audience participation was on the stage. At the end of the entire event, the audience was created to a whole cast performance of the iconic Christmas original song “Working as an Elf” which appears to have a strong chokehold on the Cardiff drag scene at the moment!
Despite having known the next performer Serenity for a long time now, I have never actually seen them perform live. I was not aware of how much of a production they like to showcase as they owned every inch of the venue which made for a very exciting performance as you never knew what would happen next! I think that the most impressive thing about their performance however was the fact that they performed with every single inch of their body. She gave absolutely everything from goading the audience to a range of wonderful facial reactions, this was a full-on performance from head to toe! The highlight of the entire performance for me however was an incredibly elegant and mesmerising controlled split. The performer got closer and closer to the ground (in time with the music) until hitting the floor only to immediately bounce back up. This was a thing of pure beauty and the audience went absolutely wild for!
Next up was the amazing Khloe Lux who performed a wonderful Beyoncé medley which also saw them utilise every inch of the Fuel stage (and audience space) to create a truly captivating performance. Donning the most incredible sparkly nude allusion bodysuit, the performer showcased an insanely high energy sequence of Queen Bey’s greatest highest that the audience went absolutely wild for! She had cleverly designed the routine to include iconic choreography but also allowed for both audience interactions and her own influences to be showcased. Having seen this performer for the first time a few months ago at Del Fflur Productions’ del-lightful debuts (which you can read about at https://rhysreviews.com/2023/11/19/del-lightful-debuts-performance-review/) it is clear that Khloe is an incredibly talented queen who is clearly destined for amazing things in the very near future! She is someone to keep an eye on!
Fans of Ru Paul’s Drag Race season three will remember Ella Vaday’s iconic snatch game performance as Nigella Lawson. However, Myst Fortune decided to take this routine one step further and create an entire routine involving the culinary queen of the double entendre. What was absolutely incredible about this performance was the fact that Myst had clearly carefully considered the two things the TV chef is known for (that being crudeness and food) and had selected a song that plays with both these themes and had also spliced in iconic quotes for the chef into the number. Bon appetite” by Katy Perry hints at the idea of a delicious meal but the sexual undertones hint that it is not just food the pair will be enjoying. On top of this, Myst graced the stage with two lettuce leaves and a steak covering their more private areas which was an added layer of food/sensuality blending which is insanely clever! Later in the number local drag icon, AliBama was invited onto the stage to receive a lap dance from Myst Fortune which was absolutely brilliant to watch.
One of my other favourite performances of the night came from Ella Menopea who I only saw live at the last Cabaret of queerosities event last year! Talking about drag race, the queen of all queens Jynks Monsoon recently returned to our screens to promote their appearance in the upcoming tour of the musical Chicago. In the role of, Mama Morton she would be singing the iconic When Your Good to Mama which she performed during the season 15 finale which was met with a thunderous applause. Having known that a world-famous drag performer had recently covered this song on an international platform must have been incredibly nerve-wracking but Ella did not seem fazed in the slightest! They decided to totally strip back on the theatrics, comedy, gags etc as they showcase their incredible vocal abilities. Their incredible rendition of “When your good to Mama” was an absolute treat to the ears which the audience went absolutely wild.
Another queen we have been able to chat to on our YouTube channel is Aqueena (which you can watch the interview at https://youtu.be/mE2n_EeAQ3I?si=dC4hwytUpL2JmAv2 who actually made their debut on the cabaret of queerosities stage at this event. They decided to showcase a love letter dedicated to the phenomenon that is the latest Barbie movie (which we also reviewed at https://rhysreviews.com/2023/07/27/barbie-movie-review/ with the performance beginning with the performer posing like a plastic doll. After this, however, they came to life and began waving at the other ‘Barbies’ like they do in the film. There appeared to be an overarching storyline throughout the number of this specific Barbie becoming more and more life-like as the number progressed as Aqueena lipsynced and danced their way around the venue but the highlight moment of the entire performance for us saw Aqueena sprinting towards the stage and gracefully launching themselves into the air to perform an incredible diving forward roll.
Overall the second-ever cabaret of queerosities show shone a light on alternative and local drag performers which helped to create a fresh and exciting vibe to the entire event. It is created by and for the community it aims to uplift which truly is the icing on the cake. I would rate this event 4.5 stars out of 5! The next event in this series takes place on Wednesday 28th February where Cabaret of queerosities and Haus of Kaos (who I most recently worked with on a show with Drag race icon Miz Cracker which you can read about at https://rhysreviews.com/2023/11/13/haus-of-cymru-in-birmingham-production-review/will come together to house Orgotik from Dragula season 5. Tickets for this event are just £10 or it is just a £5 upgrade for meet and greet tickets! If you want to purchase tickets you can do so at https://www.eventim-light.com/uk/a/651bfbbd6c323904e4a4f23c/e/65ad671756f17366f9846c05
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