New musical, Trompe I’oeil, will play an exclusive season at Contact, Manchester, from 18 April – 2 May 2026 in a refreshed and deliciously uptempo new version following previous seasons in London and off-Broadway, featuring stand-out sensation from RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, Veronica Green in the role of Demi. We talk to the show’s creator, Henry Biggs, about what audiences can expect from this new musical.
Trompe L’Oeil brings together politics, drag, circus and musical theatre in a very distinctive way. Where did the original idea for the show begin?
The original idea in 2017 for Trompe l’Oeil: the Musical was based on the absolute circus of Trump and the reality that chaos was the new currency. The match with trompe l’oeil – an art form of illusion – quickly followed and in many ways took over the show. Demi, our drag queen lead, slots right into the trompe l’oeil notion.
What drew you to reimagining The Wizard of Oz through the lens of the Obama–Trump transition?
Over the last 5 years of the musical – through New York and London, I tried – largely unsuccessfully frankly – a variety of songs and approaches to convey the idea of Demi transitioning into a new post-Obama world where everything had become surreal.
No matter my method, I could feel that the audience only vaguely and variously embracing the premise. In St Louis, when we premiered the idea of Demi being “tornadoed” a la Dorothy into this new world, the response and engagement of the audience was immediate and transformative – things caught fire and all the shows sold out – we have been zooming ever since!
What conversations are you hoping the show opens up around identity and power?
It is fundamental to Trompe l’Oeil: The Musical. The core premise is that generally when people can’t process a reality they throw up their hands and say things are surreal – the result in the show is that they then turn into melted dogs (the meltedness a nod to the Melted Clocks of Dali and the zoomorphication of Rip to Ionesco’s absurdist Rhinoceros).
So, in the early stages of Trump (and even now actually), people found his politics too divergent from the world they had known – and so threw up their hands and did nothing. That response, however, constituted an abdication of the defense of one’s identity. In effect, the other side won.
In Trompe l’Oeil: The Musical, the profound split from the Wizard of Oz comes at the end when Demi realizes that, unlike Dorothy, her Oz IS her reality and she must defend her identity. In the process Rip, her love interest, learns something quite powerful about his own identity.
The cast includes Veronica Green alongside a large ensemble. What were you looking for in bringing this company together?
Veronica Green is an extraordinary match for the show, not only because of her tremendous success as a drag queen but also because of her tremendous singing voice. I should also add that her work ethic and team spirit have made her an absolute dream to work with. The show in its way I think, also gives her the opportunity to show the full measure of what she is capable of.
However, the entire ensemble is just gobsmackingly good – we have never had a cast that was top to bottom so perfectly suited for the roles they have been tasked with (and there are some very odd roles – e.g., opera singers, acrobats, country acts) . Rehearsals have just been a constant revelation.
But in the end, it is their comedic humour and timing that we really sought out – and I do believe, as a group, this is also the funniest cast we have ever had.
What excites you most about bringing the production to Contact Theatre, Manchester?
I was told by my producer in London, Jamie Chapman Dixon, that Trompe l’Oel: the Musical belonged in Manchester, insisting it was a town that would embrace its LGBTQ message like no other. He also felt strongly about the Contact Theatre as a place that would be particularly supportive of the musical’s message.
Being from St Louis and New York, I knew absolutely nothing about Manchester the city, but I took Jamie at his word. Annnd – I have absolutely, ABSOLUTELY! fallen in love with Manchester! What is not to love about a place where saying hello to strangers on the street is not considered madness. The helpfulness of people touches me daily. That is the world I grew up in. I truly hope that Manchester becomes Trompe l’Oeil: the Musical’s home for many years to come, but regardless Manchester will always stay in my heart.