Glamrou – aka Amrou Al-Kadhi – is to return to Soho Theatre from January 20 – 25, 2025 for the first time in five years with their most autobiographical show to date; the key character of their award-winning memoir, LIFE AS A UNICORN (Harper Collins), this show, DRAG MOTHER, finally explores the relationship with their Muslim mother on stage.
This tale of two mothers sees renowned Iraqi drag queen Glamrou face renowned Iraqi queen, Glamrou’s mother, after years of separation and savagery, fighting for the spotlight with their competing narratives of “WHAT REALLY HAPPENED,” and who suffered the most.
Amrou’s mother is the inspiration behind their drag persona, Glamrou – a way to honour the inherently camp femininity of their mother, preserving the bits of their mother they held so dear as a queer child. Raised with conservative beliefs, she often rejected Amrou for their queerness later in life; Glamrou became a way to liberate their mother from the shackles of conservative expectations.
This show sees Amrou finally become their mother, oscillating between Glamrou and mother – both in identical drag. Mirroring Amrou’s experiences, they confront each other onstage with Glamrou initially thinking that their mother’s severe reaction to their queerness was hatred, and then discovering that really, it was due to deep seated internal issues stemming from her strict religious upbringing.
As Amrou wrote about in their book, when Amrou confronted their mother about why she hated them being a drag queen so much, she said: “it’s awful being a woman. I am so jealous that you were born a man… and you’ve wasted it dressing like a woman. I would kill to have the freedom that you have.” This show explores the pressures of Muslim womanhood and how it interacts with the freedom, femininity and complexities of a Muslim drag queen.
A comedy show that features live music, fresh trauma and live delusion, DRAG MOTHER will explore Glamrou and Glamrou’s mother’s resentment of one another, discover if a reconciliation between them is really possible and find out whether they can finally realise that they are the same queen in many ways! All whilst pointing fun at the long-seated cultural relationship between the gay community and cruel, camp woman. This show will make Glamrou’s mother the Disney villain / hero she was always destined to be.
Tickets HERE