A joyous, camp, wacky Disney Princess adaptation, guaranteed to leave you giggling. Yaaas!
Without a Bibbidi Bobbidi doubt did Pure Tenacity and her team of Disney queens put a smile (or feather duster) on every single face in the audience. Before entering the performance space, it was made clear this was a night of unapologetic queer joy, laced with grounded realities, as the queens began their greetings as we queued. And if this entrance wasn’t quite enough, the whole assemble performed an opening number which appropriately set the scene of camp Disney magic. After a cleverly crafted interaction with the audience, the ensemble entwined
Moana’s ‘Under the Sea’ into a London Underground nightmare scene, led in neat song by Giando Rosa, as each queen pleaded the struggles of commuting in London.
The shows host, Pure Tenacity, made sure to embed meaning behind the production, offering moments of discussion towards charities which she suggested donation to, and a discussion of male toxicity within the queer scene. Though these were and are important standout points, the length and exploration of these moments at times seemed to lead the croud askew, and perhaps added to a loss in concentration from the audience and to the storyline. Regardless, Pure Tancity’s magical ability to transform from one Disney Princess into another within the matter of minutes, highlighted some extreme talent. Other stand out performances from A.s.h Akan and Keela Kraving did not fail to disappoint, where both the outfits and dance performances were highly commendable.
The music choice at most times was spot on, the queens taking turns to either lipsync or perform their own version of Disney classics. Every song was often fused with viral memes and snippets of known queer references. This was effective at times, however I think what would have really elevated this choice, would be carefully selecting these inputs, and in order to keep the show in full flow, having these be specific to a contemporary London theme. As the performance was so rich in discussion of todays society, I wonder if driving with a parallel to current political affairs would have been the best option. Regardless, when the whole audience knew of these references, it certainly produced a synchronous bubbly reaction.
Despite some technical difficulties and honest reports of the rehearsal process, you cannot help but commend the ensembles maximum efforts to create a performance which encompassed such joy. The wackyness and brutal honesty of the show lends an important note to theatre sometimes you just have to let loose, put on ten different dazzling outfits, deathdrop and lipsync your heart out to a yassified Frozen.
REVIEWER: Isabelle Scerri