Over the five years we have been running our little blog we have been able to experience some incredible things! From unique productions to wonderful trips to fabulous experiences it has been so exciting seeing what things we will be a part of next. One of the highlights of our journey so far is being asked to be a guest judge on the king’s variety show panel last week as this is not only one of our favourite bars but also being asked to critique performances shows a massive appreciation for our craft! We were lucky enough to watch a series of incredible performers showcase their performances in the Valentine’s Day spectacular which was such an entertaining evening. Now if there ever was a week to have us on the judging panel however it would be this week as the kings is paying homage to musical theatre. Those who have been following our blog for a while now will know that we made a name for ourselves during the global lockdowns reviewing and showcasing new pieces of musical theatre all around the world and even today we love nothing more than spending a night at the Wales Millennium Centre. However due to prior commitments within the show itself (more on that later) I was unable to take up the prestigious panel on the judges table this week. Now in some hypothetical where Rhys Reviews was thrown into the completion this week then I probably would have opted for my go-to karaoke song the classic I am What I Am from the musical La Cage De Folles (which we recently saw a version of performed by Ceri Dupree which you can read about at https://rhysreviews.com/2024/02/17/ceri-dupree-production-review/)
The entire event was hosted and bookended by the fabulous Jolene Dover (who we recently saw at a Mamma Mia Brunch which you can read about at https://rhysreviews.com/2023/09/24/mama-mia-brunch-experience-review/) who helped to introduce every single performer as well as keeping the audience entertained throughout. Those who know Jolene will be aware that she is an absolute powerhouse when a mic is in her hand while interacting with the audience flawlessly throughout, interacting with every performer and even treating the audience to two incredible vocal performances. My favourite of this performance came at the end of the performance as she busted out a rendition of “Seasons of Love” from Rent which is a song every musical theatre performer has been a part of at least once in their life (myself included.) Interestingly Jolene recently starred in Everyman theatre company’s production of Rent as Angel so this was such a clever choice. As expected this performance was vocally perfect but what I thought was even more impressive was that both Jolene’s performances were musical theatre songs so fitted the theme of the week!
As the winner of last week’s event, Carrie Sauce was given the advantage of not only selecting the theme of the next challenge but also being able to assign the running order. This is why I was incredibly surprised when Carrie decided to not only open the show but also choose to perform the iconic defying gravity from Wicked the musical however both of these proved to be a worthwhile gamble. Opening the show can be an extremely difficult position but Carrie did not seem fazed in the slightest. Anyone who knows anything about musicals knows that this is probably one of the most covered songs from musical theatre and has been covered millions of times by karaoke goers, infamous Tik tok singers and numerous drag icons (including the host Jolene Dover) but I have to say that vocally Carries performance was one of the of the best renditions I have heard in a very long time! The latter half of the performance were truly speculative with the iconic riff being the perfect act for this live vocal showcase! The icing on top of this performance was Carrie sprinkling in the perfect amount of theatrics with green face paint and the iconic witches hat which helped to make this act even more of a spectacle to watch. Delivering such a fantastic performance at the very start of the show set the bar extremely high and I know if I was one of the performers going after Carrie I would be extremely nervous!
An important thing to keep in mind is the fact that the Kings Variety show is not just a drag competition it is for everyone to showcase their talents. Amongst the lineup of drag performers is loveable Morgan Pritchard who is clearly a very talented operatic singer. He decided to showcase his rendition of “I’ll be back.” Before his actual performance, Morgan let the audience know that he was actually an understudy for the character who performed this song in the musical so the expectation was set very high. I do have to say that during the early stages of the performance, Morgan appeared somewhat nervous but once he got comfortable we began to see the character-based acting really shine through. The vocals were amazing throughout and the flashes of the unhinged nature of the character were very entertaining to watch!
The next performer graced the stage in a wonderfully sparkly purple dress and a sash that teased the performance the audience was about to see. My Liege decided to showcase a Hairspray musical medley including hits such as “The Legend of Mrs Baltimore Crabs” and “Big, blonde and Beautiful Reprise” which the audience went absolutely wild for. It’s clear that My Liege used this energy from the crowd to transition into interacting with certain audience people which was brilliant to watch (and actually be a part of) The performer managed to sprinkle in their unique brand of unhinged comedy including a hilarious floor routine complete with a brilliant fake-out where the dance appeared to come to an end only to be a fake ending which the audience loved. What I thought was very clever about the mixing of these two iconic songs is the fact that the character Velma Von Tussle is the star of both numbers so the My Liege could channel this character throughout and give the audience a cohesive storyline.
Now if you know anything about Rhys Reviews is that there is no musical we love more in this world than the Rocky Horror Picture Show (in fact we have seen at least ten different productions of the show, the most recent of which you can read about at https://rhysreviews.com/2022/02/13/rocky-horror-production-review/) This is why we’re we’re over the moon when Bella Stronza revealed they would before one of our favourite songs from our favourite musical! They decided to really lean into the sensual yet theatrical nature of “Touch-A-Touch-A-Touch-A-Touch Me” to develop an incredible entertaining act. Bella graced the stage in a Rob and revealing lingerie at the perfect point in the music but the highlight was towards the end of the performance as Bella demonstrated a series of mature acts with a water bottle which everyone went wild for!
Next up was the fabulous Scarlett Fever who let the audience know that she has actually spent the last few years studying a master’s in musical theatre which added extra pressure to before … and she absolutely nailed it! Scarlett revealed that she would be taking on one of the most emotional musical theatre songs to ever exist from the musical Waitress “She Used To Be Mine.” She performed this song absolutely flawlessly with the vocals being a particular highlight!
The penultimate performer of the evening was the amazing Chloe Von Schuss (who is a member of the haus of Kaos who we recently saw perform alongside Drag Race alumni Mz Cracker which you can read about at https://rhysreviews.com/2023/11/13/haus-of-cymru-in-birmingham-production-review/) who decided to strip back the theatrics she is known for to focus on her amazing vocal abilities. Last week she channeled an extremely camp cabaret-style performance where this time their rendition of “Home” from the musical version of Beauty and the Beast (which we recently directed and choreographed for a school production) focused more on their incredible singing abilities. It is very clear that Chloe is a massive fan of musical theatre not only as they decided to dress as Belle in her blue maid outfit and the sheer joy was clearly radiating from the performer was infectious but the judges also commented on how this was a relatively unknown song but in all honesty, I don’t agree!
The final performer was the amazing Aqueena who we recently saw perform at Cabaret 2 (which you can read about at https://rhysreviews.com/2024/02/01/cabaret-of-queerosities-2-production-review/) but we did not know they were capable of pulling out such a production in the short time they were given. Now we have to disclose the fact that we were approached to be a part of the performance as a backing dancer in the opening sequence of the Mean Girls medley but we were quickly booted from stage so that Aqueena could take centre stage and she owned every second of it. They owned every inch of the venue and interacted with the audience perfectly resulting in the loudest audience reaction of the night. Aqueena had constructed the routine to include the perfect amount of theatrics including the iconic forward roll, high kicks, an incredible death drop and a hilarious burn book-inspired prop dedicated to head judge Nicki Knockers.
The spectacular mean girls medley led to Aqueena being declared as the winner of this week’s challenge and she was gifted the advantage of deciding next week’s theme and the running order! It was announced that on the other end of the competition however that the bottom two performers this week were Chloe and My Liege who had to showcase a save me performance that the judges would use to decide who would stay in the show. Chloe opted for yet another obscure musical number from Carrie the Musical which was absolutely incredible! This song allowed Chloe to showcase their vocal talents but also provided ample opportunities for character-based acting which Chloe really captured flawlessly. At an almost complete contrast, My Liege decided to unique performance of “Get Up Offa That Thing” by James Brown which is not something I thought I would ever see a drag performer cover. The high energy and eccentric performance was an absolute crowd pleasure with the performer using every inch of the stage wonderfully. After both performers had completed their Save Me performances, it was sadly announced that My Liege would be going home.
Overall, the third week of the Kings variety show saw everyone bust out their musical theatre skills (which instantly gets bonus points from us) but the standard itself was extremely high from the moment the host Jolene Dover graced the stage. I would rate this event 4.5 stars out of 5!
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