Mike Bartlett’s Cock, last seen in London in 2011, is not just a source of endless childish sniggers in the West End—though we are grateful for that—it is an innovative revisiting of an important queer play, directed by Marianne Elliott. Barlett was inspired by cock fighting in Mexico, mashed up with questions about sexuality and... Continue Reading →
Theatre Review: Death Drop (Criterion Theatre, London) ★★★★
Jujubee is standing by the stage door, taking photographs with fans and laughing. “It’s so stupid. It’s SO STUPID, but it’s FUN stupid!” She says, succinctly summing up Death Drop. Reader, this show is so dumb, it’s genius! Category is “Drag-atha Christie”. Take the classic British murder-in-a-manor-house plot, fill the cast with drag kings and... Continue Reading →
Theatre Review: Steve (Seven Dials Playhouse, London) ★★★1/2
The tale of a middle-aged white gay New Yorker having romantic issues might not be the story the world is desperately crying out for at the moment, but Steve—now playing at the newly renamed Seven Dials Playhouse in London—is brisk, bright, and funny. There’s a sense of new beginnings about this production bringing Mark Gerrard’s... Continue Reading →
Exclusive Interview: Australian drag superstar Courtney Act on her Sydney Theatre Company debut “this feels like a whole level jump”
Australia has never been shy of drag. From the legacy of Sydney’s Les Girls and Carlotta, to Barry Humphries' iconic Dame Edna and Stephan Elliott's classic 1994 movie The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, drag has long been part of nation's cultural mix. But things changed when Courtney Act rose to fame in... Continue Reading →
Vault Festival Theatre Review: Trade (Omnibus Theatre, London) ★★★★
Complex, challenging and more than a little surprising, Trade plunges the audience into the murky and perilous world of the European sex-trafficking industry. Unflinching, unapologetic and at times deeply uncomfortable, Trade is a well performed and thoughtfully directed piece that never shies away from the difficult questions.
Theatre Review: 44 Sex Acts in One Week (Sydney Festival) ★★★1/2
Imagine if an employee of Goop had to road test everything their boss spouted. In one week. That’s the conundrum Celina (Emma Harvie) faces in David Finnigan's 44 Sex Acts in One Week. She’s a contract writer for a lifestyle clickbait site and she’s in need of cash. When she volunteers to review her influencer... Continue Reading →
Theatre Review: Triple X (Sydney Theatre Company) ★★★★1/2
Glace Chase’s play, Triple X, has finally hit the Sydney Theatre Company mainstage and it has been well worth the elongated wait. Fresh, complex, and hugely entertaining, this exploration of the love between a cis man and trans woman quickly demolishes your expectations and takes you on a ride filled with ethical backflips, emotional diversions,... Continue Reading →
Theatre Review: The Return of the Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show, LIVE! ★★★★★
Last night saw certified drag legends BenDeLaCreme and Jinkx Monsoon play the first of two shows at New York's Town Hall, as part of the US leg of their The Return of the Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show, LIVE! tour which runs until December 30th. The queens, who have once again co-written this year's festive... Continue Reading →
Exclusive Interview: Glace Chase on her play Triple X “we’ve not seen a trans love story like this before”
Multi-hyphenate trans queen, drag performer, playwright, comedian, screenwriter, and New York City tour guide Glace Chase has been unexpectedly stuck in Australia during the pandemic and things have taken some unusual turns. “Oh my God, it’s been an ongoing trauma!" Glace tells The Queer Review's Chad Armstrong in Sydney. "I was only meant to be... Continue Reading →
Dr Emily Garside on Lin-Manuel Miranda’s love letter to musical theatre & Jonathan Larson’s legacy with tick, tick…BOOM!
Lin-Manuel Miranda's hugely creative film adaptation of tick, tick...BOOM! has been, it now seems safe to say, a huge success. Fittingly for the story of Jonathan Larson, a man who referred to himself as 'the future of musical theatre', it is an inventive movie musical that shows what the genre can be and has the... Continue Reading →
