Those who follow us on YouTube will be aware that we recently interviewed the amazing Nicki Knockers (which you can watch at https://youtu.be/RUVe76BgBwA?si=XgHfEirAnmah018X) where she teased that there would be a twist in the upcoming divas week in the kings royal variety show. This turned out to be that the top two of the week would lip-sync for the ability to choose which one of the bottom two would be instantly eliminated. Aqueena and Carrie Sauce battled it out with the latter being declared the winner of the challenge (this has been their second win of the season so far) and they sadly decided to send home the wonderful vocalist Morgan Pritchard home. It was declared that this week’s interaction of the completion would be dedicated to Rock music. Despite my monthly visits to the rock bar Fuel to watch the newest instalment of Cabaret of queerosities (the most recent of which you can read about at https://rhysreviews.com/2024/03/03/cabaret-of-queerosities-3-production-reviews/), I have to admit that I am not the biggest fan of the genre. But if by some miracle I found myself competing in this week’s challenge I think I would have to have gone for a much more outlandish and comedic perspective of the genre by paying homage to one of the most iconic wrestlers to ever exist. I honestly have channelled my inner drag king by dressing up as the Hollywood icon Dwayne Johnson by donning a bold cap and that iconic black turtle neck/fanny pack combo and underneath have a muscled-up nude allusion bodysuit that would pay homage to his wrestling background. In terms of the performance elements I think I would have started with a live rendition of “You’re Welcome” from Moanna which would transition into his iconic verse in the song face-off. If I were competing I would hope that this tribute to ‘The Rock’ (my way into this week’s theme) would at least land me a safe placement as this is a week I think I would struggle to do well in otherwise.
The king’s version of both Ant and Dec comes in the form of the wonderful Jolene Dover who similarly to Musicals Week a few weeks ago (which you can read about https://rhysreviews.com/2024/02/24/kings-variety-show-2-event-review/) not only hosted the entire event but also treated the audience to two fantastic performances. Jolene is an absolute powerhouse on the mic with hilarious audience interactions sprinkled throughout and getting the audience excited for every single performer. What is particularly amazing about their set is the fact that took time to select songs that fitted the rock theme of this week’s challenge. Jolene opened the entire show with an incredible performance of Don’t Stop Believing by Journey where the higher sections of the song were a particular highlight. Jolene brought the show to a close with an incredible rendition of Simply the Best by Tina Turner which was an absolute crowd-pleaser as the audience roared the lyrics at the performer. Jolene sprinkled in a wonderful array of gorgeous riffs throughout this track showcasing their incredible vocal talents! As the reigning winner of the Kings variety show and confessed rock enthusiast, Nel Philp was invited as the guest judge for the second week in a row and was particularly amazing is that during this week they proved why they deserved to be on the judging panel. I think it is fantastic when judges get a chance to showcase their talents and prove why there is the oracle which is exactly what Nell did this week. She showcased her incredible vocal talents when she performed her rendition of Misery Business by Paramore which was an absolute treat for the ears!
For the second time this season Carrie Sauce opened the show and put on an absolute spectacle! The performance started with a demonstration of their incredible vocal talents during a rendition of “I Believe in a Thing Called Love” by The Darkness which is an extremely difficult song to get right due to the insanely high sections of the song but Carrie did not seem fazed in the slightest! This then transformed into Carrie hosting a Ru Paul’s drag race style reading mini-challenge (complete with glasses akin to how it ran on the show) and delivering some hilarious reads of her fellow competitors. These included things like “if you are thinking of taking a man home make sure you speak to Scarlett Fever beforehand as she is the queen of being safe” and calling Aqueena her ‘biggest’ competitor as she is a very tall lady. What I thought was also very clever was the fact that in the routine she included reading about herself saying that she looks like Stevie Wonder did her makeup which helped to prevent that sense of self-centredness that reading can sometimes bring. This comedic relief then transitioned into a lip-sync rendition of “I Fell Down (but I Got Up)” performed by Lady Camden on season 14 of Ru Paul’s Drag Race. They even managed to stage an iconic trip and wig reveal moment as seen on the show which made for a very exciting and referential performance. Carrie Sauce had crafted a full production routine that not only played to her vocal talents but also showcased her comedy skills as well. This was an incredible way to open the show and I know if I was the rest of the performers, I would have hated to follow this incredible queen!
Going into this week’s challenge I thought that if there ever was a challenge for Bella to really excel in, it would be rock week but it appeared that her love for the genre actually got in the way during her performance this week. The confessed goth girl Bella (whom we met before at the Cheddar Gorgeous show at Glee Club Cardiff which you can read about at https://rhysreviews.com/2023/06/14/party-monsters-tour-production-review/) walked onto the stage paying homage to one of her favourite movies the crow. The thing about Bella is that she also pours her heart and soul into every single performance and this week was no different! It was clear that she not only knew every single word to her lip-sync track but also was clearly a massive fan of the movie as the joy and passion radiated from her throughout. She started the routine by climbing into the bar at the Kings (which was dangerous enough on its own) and then decided to perch herself on the bar looking down at the audience which was akin to that iconic Batman pose seen on many of the game artwork and once she leapt from the bar she continued to deliver a very intense and powerful performance. I have to say that the song she opted for Dead Souls by Nine Inch Nails is not a song I am particularly familiar with (but as previously mentioned I am not a rock expert) and many judges did comment on using a more mainstream and popular song that more people would be aware of. While the performance itself was specular it was somewhat difficult to become fully involved with the performance as I did not know any of the lyrics however it is painfully clear that this is a song that Bella loves as she poured absolutely everything into this lip-sync performance.
One of the front runners thus far in the competition is the Maltese Barbie doll Aqueena (who we also interviewed at https://youtu.be/mE2n_EeAQ3I?si=6ogEwZtM_wf–rVb) who is quickly becoming known for their chaotic yet production value heavy performance style. Their performance began with a “Housekeeping” voiceover booming through the kings as Aqueena (dressed as Freddie Mercury) strutted towards the stage followed by a Henry the Hover as the iconic synthesised melody of I Want to Break Free blasted through the venue. This was a clever nod to the original music video of this song as Freddie Mercury can be seen hovering over a home so Aqueena using the same prop was a nice inclusion. She used the hover throughout the routine which helped create a storyline that tied all the performances together while simultaneously giving a visual homage to the original music video. This track then transitioned into Bohemian Rhapsody which is always a crowd pleasure regardless of the time of night, venue or audience. The audience was treated to the iconic Aqueena roll however I do have to say that it did go slightly wrong as Aqueena crashed into the judge’s table and tipped head judge Nicki Knocker’s drink over and I know if I was on that panel I would have been fuming!
There are very few fundamentals in this world but one thing is for certain wherever Chloe Von Schuss goes the vocals are going to be amazing. I am still thinking about their incredible rendition of Home from Beauty and the Beast (which you can read about at https://rhysreviews.com/2024/02/24/kings-variety-show-2-event-review/) and this week was just as incredible! Chloe von Schuss used this week’s showcase to display her love of her favourite rock icon Blondie with a rendition of “One Way or Another.” I have to be honest, I did not know that Blondie first performed this song! I knew that the one-direction version was a cover but I never knew Blondie originated the track and so this performance by Chloe was not only entertaining but also educational! The highlight of the performance came during an instrumental break in the song where Chloe decided to bust out an incredible dance sequence while simultaneously showcasing incredible vocal runs which is not an easy thing to balance but Chloe seemed to really shine during this sequence which was incredible to watch!
Despite the joke made earlier in the night, it is a total surprise to us that Scarlett Fever has not been able to claim a win so far in the competition as always being her unique hybrid of vocal talents and high-energy performance style. This week she decided to showcase a medley she had made herself which allowed the queen to show many different aspects of her performing talents. A personal highlight for me was when the iconic tune of Hit Me with Your Best Shot by Pat Benatar started blasting throughout the kings as this seemed to inject even more energy into the already energetic performer. The audience clearly loved this track as they started to scream the lyrics at the performer as they continued with their live vocal showcase. This overwhelming energy transcends this track as the music transitioned into the the titular track of Camp Rock the movie which is the closest to rock I had ever been to prior to this night! She owned every inch of the stage and audience area which made for a very exciting and entertaining performance to watch!
It was announced that the for the third time this season the winner of this week’s challenge was none other that Carrie Sauce. While I thought that their performance was an absolute spectacle and highly entertaining, I do think that the rock focus was somewhat muted as I think I will forever remember this act for the hilarious reads and not their tribute to this genre. On the other end of the competition, however, were Chloe Von Schuss and Bella Stronza who had one more chance to impress the judges to secure a place in next week’s semi-final. Those who know me in real life will know that one of my all-time favourite songs is the iconic Proud Mary by the recently departed Tina Turner so when it was announced that Chloe would be performing this number I for one was very excited! As expected Chloe absolutely nailed the vocals in this track and even added her own riffs which were absolutely amazing to listen to while also busting out some Tina-Isms throughout the performance. The audience absolutely love this song with every singing and dancing along! Bella started her track with an incredible dramatic routine which saw her showcase some incredible hand-ography that really helped to build excitement for the track. She also showcased some incredible floorwork throughout the performance. After the judge’s deliberation, it was announced that sadly we would be saying goodbye to the wonderful Bella Stronza which means that Chloe would be going through to bring a friend challenge next week!
Overall the world of rock music and the world of drag performers (which is all that is left in the variety show) is not something that naturally overlaps and I think some acts struggled to really embrace the rock theme but we were treated to many different incredible entertaining interpretations of this genre. Carrie Sauce delivered an absolute spectacle with a heavy focus on production value which we would easily pay a considerable amount of money to see again! I would rate week five of the Kings Royal Variety Show event 4 out of 5 stars and cannot wait to see what everyone showcases in next week’s semi-final/bring a friend week!
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