Brighton Fringe 2008
All Dolled Up
Super Who & thisispopbaby
Venue: The Udderplace, 10pm, 21st-25th May
Festival: Brighton Fringe
Low Down
Join Queen of Ireland, Pandora Bliss on a guided tour through the twisted back-alleys of her mind. Panti reveals what has made her the self-made,man-made woman she is today.
Review
Early on in this show, Pandora ‘Panti’ Bliss posits that if you think that there is no art to lip-synching, the staple of the drag show, then you have simply never tried to do it. I held this belief at the start of my evening with Panti and, what can I say, she was an education. Not only about lip-synching mind you, at which she was surprisingly moving, but about every aspect of her life as a drag queen. From her beginnings in Dublin’s dingy fetish clubs to an appearance on an American talk show, this woman has certainly had a colouful life and turned into an even more colourful show.
Panti’s insights into drag, her ability to offend, the challenge of finding the right man with ‘tranny-chasers’ banging down her door, were all piercing and witty. This show was evidently based on careful thought as shown by the way in which Panti deconstructed her drag persona before our eyes and we got glimpses of the man under the massive wig. The show was at times shocking, but delivered with a charming anecdotal tone that generated a real affection between the performer and the audience.
While this show is not one for the faint hearted, I would suggest you maybe avoid taking you grandmother along. You would be hard pushed to find a better storyteller or more informative and entertaining drag show in this year’s Fringe.
