A Christmas Gaiety: A Festival Extravanganza, truly was what it said on the tin, fabulous, festive and oh so very extravagant.
The Liverpool Philharmonic Hall played host to A Christmas Gaiety: A Fabulous Festive Extravaganza, a show that promised sparkle, sass and seasonal cheer, and boy did it deliver. Conducted by Edward Outwater, and presented by the legendary Peaches Christ, the evening brought together the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra with a fabulous line-up of drag royalty, which included: Baga Chipz, Ginger Johnson, Kyren Thrax and Le Gateau Chocolat. They were joined by legendary star and West End Queen Kerry Ellis who’s vocal prowess was an added Christmas joy for all to hear.
The evening opened with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra in full festive swing, their beautiful sound carried throughout the hall, getting everyone into the Christmas spirit with a medley of our festive favourites. Conducted by Edward Outwater, audiences were treated to an abundance of symphonic power, cabaret energy and an added touch campness. What more could an audience ask for?
Peaches Christ was a fabulous host who commanded the stage with sharp humour, glitter and a lot of glam. Her warmth, wit and festive cliches brought together a celebration of chosen family and queer community, whilst adding some festive flair and knew exactly how to land a good joke and give the orchestra their time to shine.
The night was laid out in 2 acts, with each Queen coming out to do their own little solo numbers, be that singing, dancing or writing a letter to Santa. They each brought a whirlwind of energy and fabulousness that had audiences laughing all night long.
Baga Chipz’s first performance was an unexpected rendition of The Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy. This perfectly summed up the spirit of A Christmas Gaiety. Baga managed to turn a dance often associated with delicacy and precision into something so joyfully absurd and chaotic. Her commitment to parodying this ballet is what had audiences cheering as laughter rippled though. It felt like a pantomime moment.Baga’s second performance came towards the end of the second act, when she was joined by Ginger Johnson and Peaches Christ as they paid a beautiful tribute to The Vivienne, a notable name in the drag world and who was from Liverpool, and other Queens they had lost. Baga Chipz sang a rendition of Over The Rainbow that had audiences stunned in silence wight through to the final note where they erupted in rapturous applause for such a touching moment.
Ginger Johnson’s first performance The Typewriter was incredible. Set to the Orchestra’s music, Ginger typed her Letter to Santa on an old fashioned typewriter with such practised precision, you couldn’t help but cheer her on at the end. It was funny, fast and brilliant. Typing on a typewriter is definitely a talent in its own right, and Ginger brought that bit of extra magic to make it all the more festive. The second performance from Ginger began with the first lines of the Christmas story, Twas the Night Before Christmas, before she unleashed her powerful voice in a rendition of Its oh so quiet. What a spectacular performance this was. Ginger owned the stage and commanded the audience.
The next queen to perform was Kyran Thrax, who’s first half performance as Rita La Roach fell a bit short with the audience. While the poem spoke was witty, it didn’t seem to reach audiences the same as the previous performances. However, Kyran made up for this with a delightful Elvis Medley in the second act, where it really showed their vocal talent and love for performing. Audiences loved this medley and it was a highlight of the night.
Le Gateau Chocolat brought brilliant baritones brought a new life to the Christmas classic, Walking in the Air. A great act 1 closing performance. From this song you can tell why he has a name for himself as one of the best in the business. The second performance from this powerhouse was Nothing Compares 2 U. It was a solid performance all round that audiences loved. Whilst not as festive a song choice, the outfits worn by Le Gateau Chocolat really were dazzling.
Kerry Ellis, joined Peaches Christ in a very queer performance of the 12 Days of Christmas (changed to 12 Gays of Christmas for this performance). This particular song involved an audience sing-along, which definitely had the audience doubling over with laughter instead of singing. You never knew what was going to come up next for each day. It was certainly a version of this usually traditional festive song that won’t be forgotten for a while after. However, the most notable performance from Kerry was a stunning rendition of O Holy Night that had audiences on the edge of their seat ready to cheer for the big note at the end. Of course Kerry’s vocal prowess is why she is the Queen of the West End. Her talents are endless. We were also treated to a little singalong of All I Want for Christmas, led by Kerry herself. Oh what fun that was for all.
The finale to this show had all the acts together on stage singing Merry Christmas, which gave a perfect ending to a night of festive fun. This show really left audiences with a smile on their face, warmth in their heart and ready for the festive season