“A fun and lively cabaret on the wilder side”
Celebrating pride month, Beanfeast at Woolwich Works held a cabaret showcasing drag kings, queens and non-binary talent.
The show kicked off with our host Lauren performing before introducing the evening, interacting with the audience, asking how we were coping in the heat and generally joking or commenting about it throughout the evening (which is pretty much expected throughout England in the summer) which helped to bring the audience together.
The first act of the show had some good performers; one was on silts who even moonwalked which was quite a talent! Despite it largely being cabaret, there was a well-balanced mix of different performances which kept it interesting and entertaining. The second act equally had a good variety, and it felt like the audience had settled in, quite possibly getting outside and having some fresh air helped with the overall energy (as had the refreshments). There was a bit between the mc and one of the performers who was assisting other performers in setting up (which was nice to see) initially it was funny, but it soon lost that and it seemed like the audience felt that too. Some of the performers added comedic moments to their routine, which was on the explicit side, but we were all adults, so we knew exactly what was being hinted at. You can imagine drag cabaret being a bit more on the wild side! The songs that the performers chose seemed very akin to the lgbtq+ community and were some very well-known songs which made the audience certainly sing along to and helped to make it the celebration that it is rather than an audience watching a show.
Some of the performers were a little hit and miss, the fatigue that comes with London heat didn’t help, and I’m sure the performers felt this. The mc did a fantastic job in entertaining the audience and rousing them for the next act as it was a bit of a tough crowd. But overall, the audience received most performers positively, and audience participation was kept to a minimum, and you didn’t feel pressured into joining in, which personally is a huge bonus.
There was a real sense of community and togetherness-whilst obviously much of the audience were lgbtq+, as a straight audience member I wasn’t made to feel uncomfortable or not welcomed which is what pride is about, everyone is welcome. Whilst this was a one-off show for Beanfeast, the company have other shows booked in and around London which if you can catch, do. It’s a fun evening.