Colchester Fringe Festival 2024
JESTATION: An Immersive Drag Cabaret
Jester Mirage
Genre: Immersive, LGBTQIA+, Sci-fi
Venue: Three Wise Monkeys
Festival: Colchester Fringe Festival
Low Down
A silly, weird, and fun drag cabaret held back by a shaky plot.
Review
Immersive is a marketing buzzword these days. In fact, I write extensively on that fact in my PhD research on participatory and immersive theatre. Was JESTATION an “immersive?” It could be with further development, but the venue certainly did little to help. That said, wacky performances and a creative premise by Jester Mirage & Will Power keep the show from becoming a drag.
Faded cabaret performer Madame Mirage has had her stage partner and lover pass away following a tragic accident. At the same time, an alien invasion has taken over and we are all in hiding in Madame Mirage’s drag cabaret while the aliens destroy the outside. Using some supernatural talents, Madame Mirage ressurects her dead lover and performs a series of songs. Then puppet Aliens show up (another highlight of the show)… Describing the plot of this show is like describing the plot of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, it’s nonsense throughout playing with campy B-movie tropes and then aliens show up.
What frustrated me was that the show had lots of potential. Once Will Power shows up, there is an electric energy between Mirage and Power. They are fun to watch and give committed camp performances. My personal favorite was the moment Will Power arrive and the two lip-synced “Total Eclipse of the Heart.” The simple provocation of “turn around” in the song had the whole audience turning heads. Where the show falters is when the cabaret acts do little to contribute to the show. It feels the songs were picked first and the plot written around them. Individually, each number was perfectly performed. They would not be out of place at any drag bar and would be the most memorable parts of the evening. As a whole, you’re left wanting more cohesion.
My message to Mirage and Power: go further. There is so much potential in this work, especially if you can lean into the immersive and participatory aspects more. I wanted to see the audience more involved and a firmer stitching of the plot. That said, if you’re looking for a light-hearted drag cabaret, this is certainly a great place to start.
