THEGAYUK

Category: Entertainment

  • Drag Queens Of London Tonight – Shiz Be Going Down

    After the breakdown of her friendship with Munroe, Lady Lloyd puts the row behind her and sets out to boost the profile of her drag girl group the Buffalo Girls by looking for a new manager and writing what she hopes will be a hit single for the band.

    Meanwhile Rosie Beaver takes radical action to get her love life back on track, heading on the pull in drag with best friend Nick, aka Violet Sparks.

    And American drag queen Bourgeoisie’s confidence is shaken as she comes in the bottom two in the Tranny Shack Academy drag competition, but she doesn’t take it lying down as she confronts club promoters Dusty O and Walt.

    Key Quotes from episode 5:

    Bourgeoisie and Dusty:

    5.53 – “I’m still here….like, hello!” – Bougie about his commitment to Trannyshack academy

    6.40 – “Arty can be interpreted in many ways, can’t it?” – Dusty to Bougie on his ‘arty’ look

    8.18 – “I’m a f**king art Queen. You can’t take that from me” – Bougie on her look and style

    12.08 – “I’m like shamu the mother f**king whale” – Bougie about his performance that showers the audience with champagne

    27.17 – “You were saved…. and I saved you” – Dusty O talks about Bougie ending up in the bottom two but being saved

    30.51 – “And I’m sorry if she sh*t herself” – Dusty O about Bougie’s performance

  • FILM REVIEW | Concussion

    This is the story of a mid-life crisis where a marriage between a lawyer and an ex-real estate house flipper turned housewife who live with their two kids in a comfortable affluent NY suburb starts to get stale. ★★★★

    The housewife busy with running the home, taking Pilate classes with her friends, and hanging out with the other soccer kids’ mums doing the daily school runs etc., is bored out of her head. The same head that gets hit very hard one day when her son accidentally manages to throw a ball at it causing some bloody damage.

    It results in not just concussion but some sort of epiphany that she needs to make some changes to her life.

    The edge that this story has over similar tales of marriage woes is that this couple are lesbians which doesn’t alter the reality of marital disharmony but it makes it take on a whole different resonance.

    Abby goes back to work and buys a Loft in the city to refurbish and flip throwing all her energy into the project. It’s a start, but she is still sexually frustrated as her wife Kate, a divorce lawyer, seems to prefer celibacy. So Abby hooks up with hooker, but the woman she picks from a newspaper ad turns out to be dishevelled drug user and the experience is far from happy, something she confides to Justin her contractor/friend who is working on the loft with her. Justin’s girlfriend just happens to run a call-girl service out of her college dorm and so she insures that Abby gets a very hot date for her next encounter.

    It whets her appetite for sex, but at $800 a pop this is more than she can afford on a regular basis so Justin suggests that maybe the answer would be for her to turn tricks herself. Evidently there is a need for a beautiful older woman… Abby is 42… especially to service young wealthy women looking for an experienced lesbian. It takes time to persuade Abby to decide and even then when she accepts she insists on doing it in her own terms i.e. meeting clients in a coffee shop first. And thus ‘Eleanor’, Abby’s new persona, is born.

    At the beginning most of the clients are indeed young but when Eleanor gets one who is even older and sexually more experienced, she really starts to relish her new role. And then to top it all one of her new clients turns out to be Sam, a married ‘straight’ woman friend from her own town who she has always quietly lusted after, the fantasy of her new life becomes very real indeed.

    Abby insists that ‘Eleanor’ only has a few clients a week so that she can maintain all her usual routines at home, and very conveniently now that the loft is finished she even has a place for her assignations. Her wife Kate is so wrapped up in her work and being the ‘other’ mother at home that she is completely unaware that Abby has created this other life just to get some sexual fulfillment, and even when the penny eventually drops, she really doesn’t want to accept when she sees.

    It’s an intriguing drama that is primarily convincingly real because of exceptional and sensitive performance by Robin Weigert as Abby/Eleanor. She insures that we empathise with her from the very beginning, and although it is essentially all about satisfying her needs there is something very laudable about Eleanor as she goes out of her way to insist that the other women get the fulfillment they are craving too.

    It is an impressive writing/directing debut from Stacie Passon, and it was very beautifully filmed so that the sex scenes were never explicit but extremely erotic. The plot started to waffle slightly towards the end as if it was unsure of how to resolve the drama, but that still doesn’t stop it from being an extremely watchable fine piece.

  • ALBUM REVIEW | Do It Again – mini album collaboration by Röyksopp and Robyn

    ★★★★ | Do It Again – mini album collaboration by Röyksopp and Robyn

    Do It Again is a superb mix of tracks from the brilliant Norwegian group Röyksopp and the chanteuse from Sweden, Robyn.

    Put the two together and you get a soaring synth soundtrack, interspersed with Robyn’s unique vocals. Röyksopp’s electronic background instantly takes you back to the 80’s, using beats reminiscent of New Order to create tracks that then marry with Robyn’s Metropolis style of vocal to create what feels like a unique experience.

    Monument is nearly 10 minutes long, and uses repetition to great effect, repeating vocals again and again while subtly changing the background beat and chords. Sayit does something similar, melding techno voices with Robyn’s to great effect.

    Do It Again sounds very like old school Robyn – pared back chords, simple but very effective – and her soaring vocals, emphasising lyrics, and making you tap the odd toe along the way. 5 minutes of pure club joy.

    Every Little Thing slows things down, but from the first chord, you know this is pure joy. Robyn’s voice used to great effect, moody and very New Romantic in sound – or maybe thats just me?

    The final track on this mini album is Inside The Idle Hour Club, and again, we return to the nearly 10 minute track, slow to start, mixing sounds as it builds, it is almost orchestral, so many different sounds but with a distinct lack of Robyn’s signature vocals here – she doesn’t dominate, this is a showcase of the music and Robyn takes a back seat.

    Taken as a whole, its a little prog rock at times, a little too earnest maybe as a project – but for all that, it is one pretty brilliant collaboration.

    What could make it better? Why a tour of course – keep your eyes peeled for a joint tour shortly, part Robyn showcase, part Röyksopp showcase, part joint venture.

    As for the album – treat yourslef, and make this part of your collection. I give it 4 stars!

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Fleabag, Soho Theatre, London

    ★★★★★ | Fleabag, Soho Theatre, London

    What happens when your life has descended into an endless round of masturbating to Internet porn, seeking casual pick-ups and having catastrophic career and relationship failures? How do we manage to live in a world where sex is ever present and the only way we can sometimes connect is through (not always satisfying) sex?

    Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s multi-award nominated, previous sell-out and critically acclaimed show is back at the Soho Theatre and it’s as twisted and as funny as ever. It’s a hilariously funny play with touches of pathos and enough gross out moments to make you wince and squirm. It’s great to see taboo subjects like female masturbation, pornography viewing and casual hook ups portrayed in a non-judgemental and achingly funny play.
    Waller-Bridge is a consummate performer, providing warmth to an unapologetic character that you want to alternately shake, nurture or go for a few cocktails with. In spite of her gauche demeanour and hapless nature the Fleabag has a dark psyche bursting full of issues and enough baggage to fill a carousel at Heathrow. It’s a testament to the power of the acting, production and script that the audience seems to warm to her so much and not want to boo her off the stage. The audience reaction was, in fact, ecstatic, the night I saw the show.

    This is a very unique production and a well-deserved Olivier Award nominee. You’ll have to act fast if you want to catch a seat. It’s a not to be missed experience. Just don’t take your granny along unless she happens to be very open-minded.
    Fleabag runs until 25th of May 2014
    Book tickets here: http://www.sohotheatre.com/whats-on/fleabag/

  • Conchita Rise Like A Phoenix At No 1 In Russia Despite Backlash

    adda Girl… Conchita’s Eurovision entry is riding high in the Russia iTunes Chart.

    Despite the backlash that Conchita Wurst has received, her song Rise Like A Phoenix is storming the Russian charts and is currently sitting at Number 1 and Number 5 in the iTunes music chart. It is beating Not Alone, Armenia’s entry by Aram MP3.

    Conchita’s victory has spurred on some men across Russia to shave off their beards in a backlash against the drag queen’s victory. Conchita’s song Rise Like A Phoenix amassed an impressive 290 points in the 59th Eurovision Competition.

    Wurst, real name Tom Neuwirth, has been the subject of much hate mongering from a number people Russia, Armenia and Belarus. One top Russian politician even called the contest a ‘sodom show’.

    In the UK the song is charting at number 25 and 35.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Somewhere Under the Rainbow- the Liza Minnelli Story, Landor Theatre, London

    ★★★★ | Somewhere Under the Rainbow- the Liza Minnelli Story, Landor Theatre, London

    Liza is about to go on stage, pacing nervously round her dressing room in a silk robe she bursts into song, tells a few anecdotes and even shows us a few of her dance moves.

    Following on from sell out runs and rave reviews in Dublin and Edinburgh; this show is making its London premiere at The Landor Theatre in Clapham.

    Minnelli is a hard act to capture well but Sharon Sexton absolutely nails it as the gay icon. She’s got an amazing voice and her acting skills are second to none. This isn’t just a tacky cabaret style impression of Liza but a wry yet touching portrayal of a woman full of paradoxes. By turns feisty and brash yet also vulnerable and fragile, this is a Minnelli you can believe in. Sexton’s version of Sondheim’s “Losing My Mind” is heart wrenching and her Mein Herr is performed with breath taking skill. Her whole repertoire is performed with dazzling panache.

    If you know much about Liza already then you’re not going to get a deep and detailed insight into her life and her marriages, drug addictions and traumas. The show does, however, give us a glimpse of what Liza is about and how she’s fought her way through life with a smile on her face and a pair of tap shoes never too far away.

    This is definitely fringe theatre at its best and a show worthy of a larger venue. This is definitely one to catch during its short run

    Somewhere Under the Rainbow runs until the 17th of May 2014

    Buy tickets here: http://www.landortheatre.co.uk/index.php/booking-office/musicals/somewhere-under-the-rainbow-84/

  • Meet ‘The Real Hedwig’

    With Neil Patrick Harris kicking up a storm on Broadway, the ‘real’ Hedwig pipes up.

    Hegwig And The Angry Inch is one of the must see gay films of all times and Neil Patrick Harris is currently playing the seminal character on Broadway to much applause and critical acclaim. But our friends at out.com have secured an interview with Tish Gervais (Brian Belovitch) – the star who claims to be the original Hedwig.

    In an exclusive chat with Out’s Michael Musto , Brian Belovitch says:

    ‘People were always coming up to me and saying that. Then, when I went to sell my film after my play, they said, “No, it’s too much like Hedwig. We already had this story.” But this is a true story. The whole thing was very shady to me. I went up to John and talked to him about it once, and he said Jayne (County) was planning to sue him. I said, “Everyone told me I should sue you.” You should have seen his face. He was like, “Really?” I said, “Maybe Hedwig is something you created in your imagination, but my story is my story.” I wasn’t going to accuse him there right on the spot. Catfight on Greenwich Avenue!’

    However John Cameron Mitchell responded with:
    ‘In a way, accusations of plagiarism are the sincerest form of flattery: “Wow! That could be me!’

    Read the entire interview and response from the creative team from Hedwig over at Out.com

  • FILM REVIEW | My Last Round

    ★★★★ | My Last Round

    Soon after middle-aged Octavio begins his romance with his young lover Hugo life gets complicated for both of them.

    Octavio is told he must give up boxing because he has a medical condition that could cause a brain hemorrhage, and Hugo gets fired from his job as he got the boss’s daughter pregnant. Determined to put this all behind them they take off to Santiago, the nearest big city, to start a new life together.

    Octavio gets a gig cutting hair at a traditional barbers shop but as Hugo fails to find work he ends up at home all day feeling sorry for himself. It puts something of a strain on the men’s relationship as both of them feel unfulfilled and unhappy with their lot. It doesn’t improve when Octavio, missing the excitement of the ring, accepts another boxing match, whilst at the same time Hugo, now finally employed, starts to get entangled with his new boss’s daughter.

    It turns out that both men quickly regret the new choices that they have made as they were done for all the wrong reasons. In trying to retain their own heavily masculine identities and their independence they inevitably put at risk the one thing that in the end was the more important than all the others i.e. their relationship with each other.

    The fact that this story is about two poor working class Chilean men sets it apart from most gay themed movies and the sheer brutality that prize-fighter Octavio puts himself through in the ring, that is shown here in bloodied detail, is not something we expect to see in a movie which is about a very tender and loving relationship between two very different men. There is a finality to their story which writer/director Julio Jorquera Arriagada makes sure we are aware of with the very poignant opening scenes of a funeral, but he very wisely does not attempt to draw any conclusions. It is very much what is and that is both tough and sad.

    Well cast and well acted it’s a tragic love story beautifully told.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Brassed Off

    ★★★  | Brassed Off

    Set in 1992, Brassed Off tells the story of a small Yorkshire mining town as their pit faces closure, unemployment looms, families struggle and communities rally round to campaign to keep the pit open. But as the saying goes, “where there’s muck, there’s brass”, here in the form of the colliery brass band; whose elderly band leader, Danny, has a dream of taking them to the Royal Albert Hall as finalists of a national competition.

    When Gloria, a beautiful young fugal horn player, arrives back in her home town from London, the band welcome her with open arms and the affable Andy falls in love with her. But she isn’t necessarily what she seems, and with the threat of the pit closure growing ever closer, the boys start to wonder why she has a National Coal Board logo on her briefcase.

    Based on the film of the same name, Brassed Off was a poignant play about the struggles of a community fighting to maintain its livelihood. The play had some genuine laugh out loud moments in the first act, but as the story unfolds and the situation of the lead characters becomes more desperate, the second act took a more downbeat turn, with a few laughs here and there, but a lot of sad developments to the story. It was a credit to both the cast’s performances and to the writing that you felt such sympathy for the characters as their lives and community were being slowly torn apart.

    James Robinson was most notable for his portrayal of Andy – with a natural performance of his character’s cheeky jack-the-lad persona. The remaining cast gelled well together and the sense of camaraderie and community on stage came across as genuine and believable. There were also some very well written roles for the female characters, in particular the determined Rita, excellently portrayed by Helen Kay. Unfortunately, some of the speech was a little quiet at times making it difficult to hear; meaning some of the audience missed out on some of the sharp dialogue.

    The brass band performed on stage, played by a combination of the actors and members from a local band, and did a fine job with some uplifting and moving numbers. The play was heavier on the narrative than the music and the only criticism to be levelled was that perhaps the band didn’t play enough throughout the show and especially towards the end.

    The play had a strong political message about the erosion of the coal industry and the impact on small communities. That said, despite the elements of comedy, this was a play whereby, regardless of your political leanings, you left the theatre feeling emotional as a result of the plight of the likeable characters and the empathy garnered towards them as they struggled through. The play did such a good job of drawing you into the lives of the on stage community, that even the upbeat ending seemed bitter sweet. Overall, Brassed Off was an emotional piece of well written and performed drama.

    Brassed Off is currently at the Sheffield Lyceum Theatre until Saturday 10th May 2014. Further details and booking details can be found at www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk

  • FILM REVIEW | Chef

    ★★★★ | Chef

    Writer/director/actor Jon Favreau is back to his indie movie roots with this sparkling new comedy that he has just completed for less then $10 mil. which evidently is considered pocket money by Hollywood standards these days.

    However the man who was relatively unknown when he had his breakthrough writing and starring in ‘Swingers’ back in 1996, can now count a lot of ‘A’ list stars amongst his friends and he has peppered them with some perfect cameo roles that make this new movie really so delightful.

    This is the story of Carl Casper, played by Favreau, who is the Executive Chef of a highly successful fancy restaurant in LA Although it is packed every night the food is safe and boring as the Chef once renowned for his innovative and creative style of cooking has lost heart. One day word gets out that the Country’s most important food critic & blogger is due to eat there that night and Carl is determined to cook something audacious and new just like the old days. He has however not taken into consideration that the conservative Restaurant owner won’t hear of any such plan, and after a showdown with him in the kitchen, Carl backs down and serves the critic food from his tired old regular menu.

    The very articulate review he writes is nothing less than damning but if this is not bad enough, news of it spreads like wildfire on Twitter. It takes Carl’s 10 year old tech-savvy son Percy to explain to his father how this, and other social media work, and as beginner Carl tries to grasp the fundamentals of it all he inadvertently sends the critic a rather nasty note that he thought was going as a private message. It was in fact very public and is the start of a vitriolic exchange of tweets between the two men that very quickly attracts thousands of followers.

    It leads to an exasperated Carl publicly taunting the critic to come back and try a new menu, and with all the public attention this spat is getting, the restaurant phone is ringing off the hook and they are having to turn away reservations every minute of the day. Come the ‘re-match’ and the owner forbids Carl to cook the proposed new menu, so he angrily just storms out just minutes before the critic walks in. Faced with having to eat the same food he has already decried, the critic starts to complain via twitter whilst he is still in the restaurant, resulting in an angry Carl hot footing it back and having a screaming fit which seemingly every single diner there catches on their cellphones and puts up on YouTube.

    Carl’s tantrum goes viral. He may no longer be a star chef but on the Internet he is very big news. Unable to get work and rapidly running out of money he reluctantly accepts an invitation by his ex-wife to travel with her and their son back home to Miami to visit the boy’s Cuban grandfather. She also connives for Carl to meet up with his predecessor i.e. her first husband Marvin a real sharp wheeler-dealer who provides the bemused Carl with an old Food Truck.

    The Truck is in a real dilapidated state but after a touch of fairy dust and a hell of a lot of elbow grease, the van is soon shiny just like new. Thanks mainly to the fact his son Percy is there to help, and also his ex-assistant chef Martin, who hearing about the truck, packs in his job in LA and hops on a plane and turns up unannounced in Miami volunteering his services.

    They start a dry run making and selling traditional cubano sandwiches on South Beach, before starting a road-trip adventure driving the truck across the country back home to California. It gives Carl a chance to get back to his roots and cook authentic food but more importantly an opportunity to bond with his son Percy for the first time since he left home. Percy’s role is not just as prep chef but also the social media expert of the group and his regular twitter feeds ensure that there are large crowds awaiting them in Austin Texas, New Orleans and all the other colorful stops they make.

    This very touching tale about rediscovering oneself and having a second chance has a predictable ending but its the journey that it takes that makes it the real delight that it is. With cameos by a barely unrecognisable Scarlett Johansson as a smouldering sexy Maitre’d, Dustin Hoffman as the grumpy restaurant owner, Oliver Platt as the Critic, Bobby Cannavale as an hilarious insecure Sous Chef, Amy Sedaris as a push PR, and an hilarious scene-stealing turn by Robert Downey Jnr as Marvin the ex husband. Inez, Carl’s ex wife was played by Sofía Vergara in a quieter version of her ‘Modern Family’ role that she plays for every part she is in, and John Leguizamo was Martin the other chef. However Mr. Downey Jr wasn’t the only performance that totally charmed the audience, as 11 year old ‘veteran’ actor Emjay Anthony was completely enchanting as young Percy.

    Mr Favreau has lovingly portrayed an authentic view of Miami Beach, but even more important has treated all the cooking scenes with such sheer passion and in great detail that you will literally dash out from the cinema drooling and ready to eat something delicious. It’s a wee gem of a movie.

    Chef is in Theatres from the 9th May 2014 in UK and USA

  • Drag Queens Of London Episode 3 Update

    The UK’s top drag competition Tranny Shack Academy kicks off and new drag queens from around the country flock to Soho to audition for a coveted spot.Joining the queue to perform for the first time is farm hand Jacinder from rural Derbyshire. More used to wellies than wigs how will she cope on the hallowed Madame JoJo’s stage infront of dozens of competitive drag rivals?

    Also facing this gladiatorial drag contest for the first time is super-confident American drag artiste Bourgoise, and office assistant Nick who creates his own alterego, Violet Sparks, with the guidance of good friend Rosie Beaver.

    Whilst the new generation of drag queens fight for a spot in the competition established performer Vanity Von Glow starts to question if there’s more to life than drag as she sets out to forge a second career performing as a boy.