Benjamin Spence
Staff Writer
“We’re going to stir your souls and fill your holes as you learn the annals of our history…”
Last night saw Drag Queens Of London stars Silver Summers, Vicki Vivacious, and Sheila Simmonds join fellow Fabulettes Vanilla Lush and Portia De Fosse for the opening night of Viva La Drag!
The mixed crowd of girls, gays, old, and young poured into the Leicester Square theatre. With wine flowing, camp songs blaring and sparkly curtains glistening, the scene was perfectly set for a night full of glitz and glam. The audience jumped to their feet for opening number “I’m Every Woman,” and as The Fabs shone in silver sequins, they sounded equally fantastic belting out the anthem.
As we are introduced to each Fabulette individually, the girls’ witty remarks and bitchy banter with each other is hilarious. Silver Summers gets the brunt of it, and this is how the story of Viva La Drag! is generated. The plot is best described as Dreamgirls meets Chicago meets Priscilla. From their glamorous conception to the current day, Viva La Drag! documents the backstabbing, bitching, band splits, and solo hits of The Supreme Fabulettes through the eras.
Courtesy of The Supreme FabulettesHolding the show together during costume changes is their manager, spiritual guide, and drag Momma, Sheila Simmonds. With hash tagging, selfie taking, and a love of Werther’s Originals, Sheila had the crowd roaring with laughter. When given the microphone to introduce herself, one audience member couldn’t even say her name from laughing too much.
Taking us through the 70s era, the girls looked every bit the disco diva with big hair, camp capes, and obligatory disco ball earrings. The costumes are designed by Stevie Stewart (Britney’s Circus Tour, Girls Aloud’s Reunion Tour and Kylie Minogue’s Aphrodite Tour,) and continued to wow throughout the show. One act even includes corsets with wing mirrors and whips attached. Looking like contemporary “Cool Riders,” The Fabs mix classic numbers with current hits.
Courtesy of The Supreme FabulettesWith clever prop usage, we see Silver Summer’s boozy departure has made the front pages of the tabloids. The audience helps encourage Silver into “Rehab,” but of course she won’t “go, go, go.” The other girls diss her by parodying the “Vogue” rap, meaning it’s full on drama as the show goes to interval. Before curtain down, the audience are of course on their feet again, and one lucky member is chosen for a Fabulette make-over.
During a Simmonds subplot we meet Sheila’s daughter, Samantha Simmonds (Sam Buttery, The Voice UK) and her hunky finance. They literally bring the Diet Coke advert to life and take it to the next level as the hunk pole dances and parades around in just his abs. This is slightly random and side-tracking from the main story but WHO CARES? Samantha’s certainly impressed, and performs “Signed, Sealed, Delivered,” showcasing why he made it onto The Voice UK.
A show stopper comes in the form of a hysterical “Jail Block Tango” number as the girls drag up the Chicago sequence. The simple set design works well, not requiring anything OTT because the girls own the stage anyway. With another enjoyable medley, be prepared to have “Love In The First Degree” stuck in your head for hours later. Another highlight is Silver Summer’s solo of “Diamonds.” With “Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend” and “Diamonds Are Forever” nicely woven in, along with the bright lights shimmering off a disco ball, the performance leaves you with goosebumps.
Courtesy of The Supreme FabulettesFinishing the spectacular show in Dreamgirls style with upbeat number “One Night Only,” the audience is left hungry for more drag domination. Viva La Drag! is unquestionably an enjoyable night out for all, boasting an impressive soundtrack that’s far from a karaoke session. With medleys, parodies, classics, currents, and jazzed up versions of hits, The Fabulettes could easily be permanent fixtures in the West End.
Viva La Drag! runs at The Leicester Square theatre until June 28. You can book tickets at LeicesterSquareTheatre.com
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