A fabulous three-way between bootcamp, burlesque, and drag, 'I LOVE GAY' had something delicious for everyone.
Glam Queen General Ruby Slippers hosted this night of outrageous fun, whipping her newest Queer Army recruits into shape. She put her performers through their paces to the delight of the audience. Loosely based on an army unit, the troops were equipped with medic Luna Thicc, and Drill Sergeant Karl Kayoss, although the exact rank of some of the other members was a little harder to identify!
Several of the performers vied for the title of Show Stealer. Tyson Goddard can flick his wrist and whip his hair like next-level Willow Smith; Burlesque maven Porcelain Alice snarled with disdain at the audience as she slowly stripped to her nipple tassels…. Which she then promptly set on fire... Medic Luna Thicc was a delight with her fruit and condom health demonstration.
A real highlight however was Drill Sergeant Karl Kayoss. With bulging muscles, ramrod straight posture and demon black lipstick to contrast to his white blond hair, Kayoss cuts a terrifying figure. Then the dance begins. His fatigues are slowly removed to reveal a sparkly black leather harness and codpiece, and lethally high, studded black leather stiletto boots finish his transformation. Oh, and there are cartwheels, flips and splits performed in said stilettos, with a lightness that almost defied belief. He's a cross between Marilyn Manson and a hardcore gymnastics fiend.
Another fascinating performer was Crimson Coco. She brought true emotional depth to her act, and the audience was riveted. Using modern dance, Coco conveyed raw angst and paralysis, using a shocking physical technique. Literally. She shuddered her whole body, looking like a malfunctioning robot, or perhaps a Morteined spider (in a good way).
'I LOVE GAY' was wonderful, as it was so diverse in every way. For the handful of performers who took the stage, lots of different ethnicities were represented. The full spectrum of gender and sexual preference also seemed to be represented (without actually talking to them it’s tough to know for sure), and while variations of drag were featured, it wasn’t the only type of “Outrageous Gay Performance” on display, which was great.
The only off note was perhaps Ruby Slippers’ patter between acts: at times it seemed like she didn’t know the performers’ names, or had forgotten her lines. However, this did little to interrupt what was a truly wonderful night.
