Created and co-written by RuPaul's Drag Race winner Jinkx Monsoon
(Jerrick Hoffer) and Major Scales (Richard Andriessen) The Vaudevillians proves
that the art of vaudeville certainly isn't dead, it's just been frozen for
almost a century.
The Vaudevillians tells the story
of Kitty Witless (played by Jinkx) and her husband Dr Dan Von Dandy (Major
Scales), two Vaudeville stars who were frozen alive during their tour of Antarctica
in the 1920s. However, thanks to global warming, the pair have now thawed out and are performing their original songs (which
you may recognise) for audiences today.
The energy of the show is
electric, with each scene spilling seamlessly into the other not giving the
audience a second to stop smiling. The two have such fantastic chemistry on
stage, especially in song, and you can really feel the heart that has gone into
every minute of the production. Each musical number throughout the show kept
the audience laughing but also proved just how talented the duo is. The
audience participation was another feature which brought the show to life, with
Jinkx targeting people to come up on stage ("We don't want to you to want
this"), downing the drinks of unsuspecting victims and chatting to those
in the front row. If there were any doubts, this show proves why Jinkx had the
C.U.N.T to win Drag Race and Major Scales matches her perfectly.
On entering the Soho Theatre in
London with my mother (who's never attended a drag show or even seen a queen in
real life) neither of us were really sure what to expect. Far from your typical gay
bar drag performance, the show transports you to the time of vaudeville from
the sound of 1920s piano when you enter the theatre to the (beautifully) painted
faces of the performers and we loved every second. When I met Jinkx at Battle of
the Seasons, I asked about The Vaudevillians, she said (loudly, and in a
thick cockney accent) " I sing, I dance, I tell some jokes, I do some coke.
It's a lot of fun!" and I honestly couldn't think of a better way to
describe it. It really is a lot of fun.
9/10
The
Vaudevillians runs until the 18 May at the Soho Theatre, London.
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