Drag queen Bianca Del Rio shot to fame on the hit show ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ but her hateful comedy skills are what have truly built and sustained her audience over the last three years.
In her show at QPAC on Friday night (10 November) no stone was left unturned when it came to Bianca’s material. In her last few shows in Australia (‘Rolodex Of Hate’ and ‘Not Today Satan’) audiences have seen her rip the girls of ‘Drag Race’ to shreds and reflect on her early life. In this instance, the material came primarily from the last few years and relied more heavily on riffing and improvisation than ever before.
As someone who has been in the audience each time she’s visited since her ‘Drag Race’ win, the thing I have noticed the most is her gradual improvement. She’s always been hysterical, but ‘Blame It On Bianca Del Rio’ really spotlights the queen’s undeniable ability to sculpt jokes out of thin air just by observing her surroundings and the poor, unfortunate souls sitting close in the crowd.
Brisbane, in particular, gave Bianca a straight mother who had once dabbled in the lady pond, a particularly ‘bitchy’ looking man in the front row and a married woman who had left her husband at home to see the show. For me, a great deal of the laughs came from these on-the-fly moments where Bianca used her razor-sharp, lightning speed wit to outsmart fans who – let’s be honest – loved every second of her hatred.
Improv aside there was also more scripted personal reflections on the current state of America (yikes), her experiences as a touring comedian, being recognised by fans and more.
A rather biting Q&A session brought the show to a close, giving curious attendees the chance to write Bianca a question and have it answered in front of the Concert Hall crowd. A brilliant note to end on.
It’s one thing for a comedian to ramble on about their life with what feels like a glass wall in front of them but to break that wall and bring the audience in – whether they like it or not – is something Bianca Del Rio excels at.
★★★★☆ 1/2
Bianca Del Rio Tour Dates
11 November – Comedy Theatre (Melbourne)13 November – Canberra Theatre Centre
14 November – Thebarton Theatre (Adelaide)
15 November – Astor Theatre (Perth)
