Above: Alyssa Edwards in Alyssa Memoirs of a Queen! Photo: Pamela Raith Photography
A tornado of a drag show!
There will be two types of reviewers for Alyssa, Memoirs of a Queen!; those who are huge fans of now-cult TV show RuPaul’s Drag Race, and those who are coming at it from a place of curiosity but with little knowledge. I fall into the first category, so was totally gagged to take my seat at the Vaudeville Theatre.
Even those who aren’t fans of Drag Race will no doubt have heard of it. There are 13 US series on Netflix, and two UK series on BBC iPlayer. Alyssa Edwards (a.k.a. Justin Johnson) appeared on series five in America and finished sixth, but has since become one of the most popular queens from the show.
Alyssa is a powerhouse of beauty, style, talent and, of course, a nice chunky bit of ego. She remarked several times that she’s her own biggest fan, and why not? The most famous line from Drag Race host RuPaul Charles is “If you can’t love yourself, how in the hell you gonna love somebody else?” and I’m completely here for it.
The show is peppered with gloriously camp musical numbers and although Alyssa’s lip syncing isn’t 100% perfect, it really didn’t matter. A professional dancer (she owns a dance school in her hometown of Mesquite, Texas), you can’t take your eyes off her kicks, spins and splits. Even the four hunky dancers (Austyn Farrell, Luke Vella, Alex Brown and Billy Sawyer), who were on point throughout the whole show, didn’t steal focus for me.
In between numbers, Alyssa engages the audience like she’s known them for years, sharing tales of how she came out to her (very supportive) grandma and what it was like growing up with four younger sisters. The chats are freewheeling and at times, almost scatty in nature, but this makes it all the more real.
During act two, non-Drag Race fans will definitely struggle to keep up, as in-jokes and fellow contestants’ names are thrown around like confetti and in quick succession. For me, it was tantalising to get a glimpse behind the scenes of a world I would love to be part of, but if you’re a fan of a structured, scripted show, these segments will probably drive you a little round the bend.
It’s not all rainbows, glitter and gossip however. Act one’s closing number sees Alyssa strip out of an amazing OTT outfit into a simple gold dressing gown and black turban. The contemporary dance that follows is quite moving; with Justin’s bare male chest on show, it blurs the lines between masculine and feminine, proving that Alyssa really is as fearless as she makes out. It was a special and more still moment in the middle of a tornado of a show.
Memoirs of a Queen isn’t perfect, but it’s perfectly drag. Alyssa Edwards has created a show in which she can be true to herself, doing exactly what she wants to do and the audience lap it up. The art of drag has exploded over the last decade, stepping into the light of mainstream TV and theatre. Memoirs of a Queen is yet another rung on the ladder of drag’s meteoric rise and I defy anyone to leave the theatre not wishing that, even just for a second, they could be a beautiful, sparkly drag queen.
“On my authority, the West End is back open”, called Jackie Weaver from the safety of her infamous living room. It was obvious that the audience was more than thrilled to be back in the red velvet seats, and were ready for an evening of laughs and entertainment.
Legends of Lockdown Live celebrated the comedians, dancers, entertainers, and just everyday people, whose talents led them to go viral throughout the lockdown. With a mixture of seasoned performers and first-timers, the evening was a liquorice allsorts of laughter, reminiscing, satire, and a reminder of the frankly diabolical way our government treated performers, creatives and production throughout the pandemic.
Production-wise, the entire event wasn’t quite up to scratch of what you’d expect on a West End stage, but it didn’t hinder the performances or the overall atmosphere. Using a screen to show the viral videos, the quality wasn’t quite good enough for those further back to see clearly, but it was perfectly fine to introduce each act.
The evening was hosted by Kerry Boyne & Sooz Kempner, who took a while to warm up and get into the swing of things. There were a few awkward moments and the pair used cue cards to spin-off jokes which felt a bit too amateur for a West End stage/ Sooz, who was evidently the more experienced of the two, filled the gaps with a few tongue in cheek jokes and quips.
Professional dancer Austyn Farrell, or should we call him Quarantina Turner, kicked off the show with a rousing performance of From Now On from The Greatest Showman, and Proud Mary. His skill and passion shone through, and we were having fun because we could tell he was having an absolute blast. He told the audience of how his TikTok videos came about (it all started on the toilet, as all the best ideas do), and how his neighbours came together to support and help facilitate his infamous videos.
Comedians Naomi Cooper (Phillipa) and Rosie Holt (The Woman) took to the stage in their personas, both delivering strong performances and keeping us engaged throughout their sets. Both performers touched upon experiences of lockdown and came across as complete naturals on the stage.
Stepping, or tapping, his way on to the West End stage for the first time, was 8-year-old Rufus and his mum Lizzie. Having taught him to tap dance throughout lockdown thanks to the gift of time, Rufus really came to life as soon as he realised the audience were completely on his side and rooting for him.
Mufseen Miah & Spencer Cooper brought some inspiration to the room by talking about how they came together to create the Queer Talk Podcast, with the aim of uniting the LGBTQ+ community at a time where bars, theatres, and clubs, places where LGBTQ+ people can often go to meet each other, were closed.
“Everyone has a voice, and social media is the perfect place to use it”, was the advice offered up by Joe Carter, TikTok comedian with 1.7 million followers. He went viral for impersonating his dad and making funny videos from his university halls throughout the pandemic. He was incredibly likeable and personable, however, there were some awkward pauses between host Kerry and himself.
Sean Clarke, also of TikTok fame, was one of the most polished acts of the evening. Having not performed since pre-lockdown, he settled straight back into his dry one-liners, giving us laughs after laughs about being cancelled, the vaccine menu, and office chairs.
Sooz Kember was unmistakably Liza in her excellent impression, showcasing her fantastic range and stage presence.
The highlights of the evening came from seasoned performers Rob Madge and Oscar Conlon-Murray. Both offered up parodies of famous musical songs incorporating political satire, the importance of supporting the arts, and in Rob’s case, being an irritating child actor. It’s a shame both performers didn’t have live accompaniment, which would’ve made their numbers all the more impactful.
Overall it was an enjoyable evening with a few technical hiccups and slow burners, but it was an interesting concept and fantastic to see the performers getting to do their thing in real life. People often take content creators for granted and don’t realise the time and effort that go into creating these viral videos.
We’re very lucky to live in a day and age where entertainment is so accessible, to both creators and the audience, and this showcase celebrates exactly that.
