(Greg Baptie, Roland
Stansell, Derek Pearce & Allan Quihampton)
Outrageous - in the
best possible sense of the word. (Review by Keith Millar)
Outrageous - in the
best possible sense – is the word which best describes the Family Players
latest comedy drag show, Queens of the
Opera: Valentine Is Such a Drag, which was staged at the Rhumbelow Theatre
in Umbilo this weekend. Fabulously flamboyant costumes, huge extravagant wigs,
over-the-top eyelashes and colourful glitzy makeup were the order of the day as
this talented group kept their audience in hysterics as they mimed and gyrated
to some wonderful show tunes of the past and present.
Joining the drag
artists for this show were two very gifted Durban songstresses. Twelve year old
Alaska Hilton sings like an angel, and is an angel to look at. Her age belies
her talent and she performs with poise, maturity and confidence. Her mentor, Krystle
Temmerman, is one of Durban’s most underrated singers. Blessed with a beautiful powerful voice and
wide range, she is a joy to listen two.
Singing together - and
separately - they blew the audience away with their performance of songs such
as Don’t Cry for me Argentina, Love
Changes Everything, Phantom of the Opera, Time To Say Goodbye, Any Dream Will
Do and That’s All I Ask Of You.
The Family Players
are an experienced group of drag artists consisting of Allan Quihampton,
Derek Pearce, Greg Baptie, Roland Stansell and newcomer Graham Goodwin. They
gave a deliciously camp performance as they minced their way through songs
which included Rossini’s Humorous Duet
for Two Cats, popularly known as the Meow
Song, Memory from Cats, I Feel Pretty from West Side Story, Bonnie Tyler’s I Need a Hero, Where The Boys Are and Miss
Subway 1952.
To keep things up to date, they also performed Let It Go from the Disney movie Frozen and last year’s hit, All about that Bass.
It is difficult to choose a favorite from a show in
which all the artists performed with aplomb, and were consistently hilarious.
But I, for one, will never look at Roland Stansell again without thinking of
his performance as a height-challenged Freddie Mercury alongside Greg Baptie,
as a pregnant Montserrat Caballé, in Queen’s Barcelona. It was a
comic performance of note.
Drag artists may
not be everyone’s cup of tea, but Durban has a team of consummate performers in
The Family Players in this genre of entertainment. Their shows are always
unadulterated and uncomplicated good fun. They are well worth seeing when the next
opportunity arises.
Rhumbelow Theatre is situated in Cunningham Avenue off
Bartle Road in Umbilo. For more information visit www.rhumbelow.za.net
– Keith Millar
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