Death Drop: Back in the Habit

I’m not a fan of Ru Paul’s Drag Race, I know, I am meant to be, but it simply isn’t for me. That’s not to say that there isn’t talent at play, far from it and last night proved just that. But the TV format is all wigs, slap, lip syncing and bitching, and that talent seldom really emerges.

Last night we were able to see the real skills of this cast of drag performers. They were quite extraordinary, word perfect, focused and obviously committed to their show. And the show looked good, a great set, beautifully lit and with excellent sound and effects throughout. And the costumes too were really impressive and very funny.

Louis Cyfer is very compelling as Father Alfie Romeo, a perspiring lump of misguided priesthood. Alex Roberts on this occasion plays Sis Titis with appropriate venom, River Medway is delightfully soppy as Sister Maria Julie Andrews and Corrina Buchan has all the bluster and pomposity required to make the cardinal come to life.

Cheryl Hole romps through the role of Sister Mary Berry with a sense of glee and finally Victoria Scone has the best part by far as Mother Superior and pulls it off with skill and with comedic gravitas.

And skill is exactly what the entire company required to make anything of this very dull and underdeveloped script. To say that they were let down by the writer would be as understated as the dreary first half in which very little happens and what does is lame and seldom comes to life.

Thank god then that in the second half the cast bring what they have to life and appear to be having fun, using their particular ad-libbing talents to wring some comedy from the written script and playing to and with the audience to far better effect.

It seemed like such a wasted opportunity, such a waste of talent and rather patronising of the writer and director to assume that peppering the whole with bad language spouted from the mouths of nuns would be enough to make me laugh. It was not. I left the theatre feeling saddened that this company had not been given better material to work with and at the same time wondering why the team behind the Ru Paul phenomenon do not allow those real talents, shown here, to shine on the TV show, hats off to them all for actually showing that those talent could actually emerge and overcome this very dull vehicle. I hope that the cast will forgive my low opinion of a show in which they are so so good despite the many things that I disliked.

Andrew Kay

13 December

Theatre Royal Brighton

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