Lead Pic: Wreckage at King’s Head
My latest round up includes Strictly’s Craig Revel Horwood, a marvellous Judy Garland impersonator, and a gay man in Streisand’s basement.
To celebrate Pride Month, there’s a storehouse of queer stuff to see at London’s King’s Head Theatre.
But first nearer home, three of Brighton’s LGBTQ+ choirs give us their summer offerings:
Step into the spotlight with Actually Gay Men’s Chorus’ new show Overtures and Encores, under the direction of Samuel Cousins, as they take us to Broadway and the West End with hits from Miss Saigon, Les Mis, Dear Evan Hansen and many more. St Mary’s Church Kemptown on 21/22 June at 8pm. Tickets HERE
From Beginning to End is the title of Resound’s latest show at Brighton’s Chapel Royal on 28/29 June. It looks at the big moments that start and end our lives, including a new composition Valediction, by Brighton composer Basil Richmond, under the direction of Sam Barton. Tickets HERE
Pergolesi and Pimms is the heady summer combination from the Rainbow Chorus on 29 June at St George’s Kemptown. Featuring Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater, it also includes, under the direction of Aneesa Chaudhry, Bring me Sunshine, May It Be and Total Eclipse Of the Heart. Tickets HERE
At the King’s Head we find Desmond, the star of every school show, who ends up in a fateful and fatal battle with his rival. Now stuck in Hell’s 7th Circle, can he escape his camp torment and prove what a diva really is – it’s marvellous stuff with an outstanding performance from Luke Baye. Diva: Live From Hell runs till 29 June.
The Pink List is a searing one-person musical inspired by the untold stories of gay men in post-war Germany. It’s created and performed by Michael Trauffer and plays 5, 11 and 13 August.
Wreckage, by Tom Ratcliffe and Rikki Beadle-Blair is the story of Sam and fiancée Noel, who have been together for years. They have a house, a cat and their whole lives ahead of them, but a sudden force crashes into their lives, how will they cope? It co-stars Taofique Folarin, who’s featured in Scene and is a prolific actor/singer/dancer. It runs 2-7 July.
In Defiance Of Gravity features psychic Ezra Montefiore, who rises to prominence and danger in the Russian aristocracy, but all may be lost when his affairs with a prince and his wife are discovered. It runs 16-20 July.
I laughed out loud at Linus Karp’s acid portrayal of the resurrected People’s Princess in Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story. Now he portrays Hollywood star Gwyneth Paltrow, re-enacting her litigious collision with a retired optometrist on the snowy slopes in Gwyneth Goes Skiing. It’s at London’s Pleasance on 18/19 July. Tickets HERE
Queer Cowboys rediscovers forgotten stories of the real Wild West, majoring on the true story of two trans cowboys, brought back to life by performer Freddie Love, with the accompaniment of a live country band. It runs 1-4 August.
Comedian vs Drag Queen does what it says in its title. Drag menace Sassafras Nitro Jet takes on comedian Paul Moore in a wig-tossing, joke-slinging battle. Various dates in August and 6 September.
Northbound Boy is a new queer comedy about a man who inherits a house, a boy who steals his heart, and his aunt who steals his heirlooms. It runs 13 August to 1 September.
If you missed the next two shows at Brighton Fringe, catch them at the King’s Head. Two Come Home, 14-18 August, is set 10 years after a horrible crime that tears two men apart but the lovers reunite at the worst time. It’s a struggle of queer love and regret.
13-15 September: Spit It Out, from the same company, I did see at Brighton Fringe. It’s a touching, honest portrayal of one person’s journey of transitioning. Featuring the marvellous trans performer Willow MacDonald.
Any chance to see the outrageously talented Rob Madge needs to be taken. Star of the sensational autobiographical My Son’s A Queer – But What Can You Do ?, Rob is to star in Buyer and Cellar, as Alex an out-of-work actor who finds himself working in Barbra Streisand’s legendary Malibu home’s basement shopping mall. Not to be missed – 18 September to 19 October.
All these shows’ tickets HERE
I first met Debbie Wileman when you stood on my foot getting to her seat at Ironworks Studios. In the second half of a show by Streisand impersonator Steven Brinberg, she came out of the audience and suddenly we were listening to a brought-back-to-life Judy Garland.
Following concerts that have included Carnegie Hall, Debbie makes her West End debut for one night at the Ambassadors Theatre on 30 June in Judy Garland: I’m Still Here. Look out for my review. Tickets HERE
And finally the fab-u-lous Strictly judge Craig Revel Horwood takes to the stage in Revelations – Songs Boys Don’t Sing, to coincide with the release of his first solo album. In between his favourite diva songs, he‘ll reveal his fascinating life story. Tickets going fast so book ahead for Eastbourne on 17 April and Worthing on 24 May next year HERE