Cinderella – Veronica Green, Baga Chipz & Ophelia Love – credit Corinne Cumming.Cinderella, the West End’s first fully drag panto is a perfect combo of being in your face hilarious and a total hot mess. The cast give it their all between scripted and improvised classic panto moments – there is no holding back on this stage.
There is a suitably trashy cardboard set which sets the tone & the Drag Queens make the panto interactive in many ways, not just by working their way in and out of the the audience.
This adult panto has everything you want. From sing-a-longs, crowd participation, belly-laughs, toilet jokes, smut, shade and even a big lip sync number.
With Baga Chipz now being a global star after doing so well on Drag Race UK, a lot of the script is focused around her time on the show, maybe if you have not watched Drag Race UK (WHO ARE YOU?) some of the jokes would go right over your head but they are delivered in such a way that it really shouldn’t alter your enjoyment. These Drag Queens really know how to work a stage.
I can’t single anyone out as all the cast had me howling. Maybe not even intentionally at times, that’s panto for you. The chaos of this panto just adds to its charm.
Drag panto seems perfectly natural with the history of the Panto Dame and Prince known for gender-swapping. I loved that this time it is the whole cast. It felt right and I hope other shows follow suit in the future, I mean Cinderella played by ‘Baby’ may well be the most beautiful I have ever seen on stage in her rags and her glittery quick change reveal.
Everyone knows the fairy tale of Cinderella right? Well think again – you do not get the traditional ending this time, instead you leave with the empowering attitude of that’s the ending I never knew I wanted. A tale as old as time with outrageous, chaotic adult content and the ending Cinderella deserves in this modern world.
Go and see this panto if you can get a ticket.
Review by Bonnie Britain
Starring RuPaul’s Drag Race UK finalist BAGA CHIPZ and SHEILA SIMMONDS – best known from her outrageous performance that wowed the judges in Britain’s Got Talent 2019, and comedian KEMAH BOB, fresh from supporting Hannah Gadsby on tour, CINDERELLA is a fierce and funny drag makeover of the classic pantomime this Christmas, playing at the Trafalgar Studios in the West End.
Produced by TuckShop – the UK’s only specialist production company devoted all things drag and will also star drag performers Ophelia Love, Veronica Green, Baby and Holly Stars.
This age-old rags-to-riches story is being dragged up for London, so dust off your glass stripper-slippers, give your carriage a rub down, and join us as the clock strikes midnight for the Fairy Godmother of pantomimes…
Will she make it to the Ball? Only if she has a good gag reflex…
Booking to 12th January 2020
Cinderella at Trafalgar Studios