Drag Baby
Kings Head Theatre • 17 April - 18 April 2022
“Are you ready for a drag-fabulous evening of fun and frivolity?” asks a resplendent Dan as Drag Queen Miss Phoenix (impressively played by Fraser Fraser) to the cheers of a very enthusiastic Kings Head Theatre audience, launching into the opening monologue of a drag night set in a back street club she has been hosting for the last two years. Fraser makes a more than credible drag queen and clearly revels in his opening interactions with the audience. I’m not sure if he has donned a wig and high heals before this latest role, (there is no indication of it on the actors bio in the program), but if the roles in the day job dry up, I think this actor has options.
From here the spotlight dims and we are transported backstage to the dressing room he shares with 19 year old Nathan who, as drag alter ego Ché Francis, admits his own style of drag isn’t for everyone, and in the glimpses we are given it’s clear to see why, their first ‘performance’ being as funny as it is outrageous, (quite possibly the most out-there drag performance I have actually seen). Beyond these highly entertaining, high energy, (and high camp) moments, there is an altogether more thoughtful and cleverly layered storyline that begins to reveal itself, and as Miss Phoenix seems poised to finally hit the big time, Dan is visited by the girlfriend he unceremoniously left behind in his youth who has now returned to ask him to be the sperm donor for a baby she, and her now girlfriend, have decided to have. The fact Dan is now a drag queen and his ex is now dating a woman seems to hold little in terms of a lasting surprise for either character, and it was one of several moments that seemed a little underdeveloped, which in turn would have made Dan and Sally’s dilemma all the more believable. That being said, this moment also heralds the first of numerous layers in the story that get peeled back one by one, enticingly proving all is not as it may at first appear. This aspect of Grace Carroll’s writing was definitely there to be enjoyed, the moments metered out so as to keep the audiences fully engaged throughout.
Unfortunately, Drag Baby did have a few structural issues, as well as a few tempo problems as, when not in full drag-show mode, the performances occasionally failed to fully ignite, and were left smouldering through one to many awkward pauses instead of being allowed to spark into the more dramatic moments I suspect they were intended to be. That’s not to say that there weren’t some genuinely moving moments along the way, but even these felt hampered by the occasional character inconsistency, it feeling a little clumsy to watch a jealous Nathan spending much of the first half hissing and stomping (literally) around Sally whenever she is deemed to be invading the space between them and Dan, to then almost miraculously doing a full 180 to become her brand new bestie, in what seemed to be the blink of an eye.
Having said that, I only realised after tonights performance that the play was being described as a work in progress, and taking that on board I think I can let many of these initial issues fall by the wayside as there was still a lot to really like about Drag Baby. It felt both original with a compelling narrative thread that I am sure, with a a bit of finessing and some tightening-up in the performances, has the potential to be an even better piece of theatre, and if this is indeed in this shows future then I will definitely be taking my seat for a second sitting, but unfortunately for all the moments I enjoyed, it didn’t seem to be there quite yet.
★★★
review: Simon J. Webb