Everyone’s favourite big, gay bus is hitting the road again, as Felicia, Tick and Bernadette unplug their curling tongs and go bush, travelling across the Australian outback and making their way to perform a show in Alice Springs. Between the breaking down, bickering and bigotry, the trio learns about life, love and friendship whilst strutting their stuff in their high heels.
As Felicia says at one point in the film that the show is based on, “there’s nothing like new frock to brighten your day, girls.” The show has been re-imagined and like the bus itself, it is given a fresh coat of paint. But not every frock is made of satin and this production, unbelievably, manages to suck most of the fun out of what is, in reality, a superb show.
Joe McFadden is woefully miscast as Tick, hardly making any eye contact with the audience and flipping between being virtually inanimate to over-exaggerating every gesture, whilst Miles Western portrays transsexual Bernadette more as a gay man than a trans woman; with only Jordan Cunningham bringing much to the main trio as Adam and his drag alter ego Felicia.
The corrugated iron-based background set is bland, gone are the recreations of the Oscar-winning costumes (to remove the flip-flop dress is a crime) and the titular bus doesn’t fare too well either. There is an abundance of unnecessary creative decisions – the “comedic” shooting of a kangaroo, a flashing nun and the addition of a set of dancing hicks whilst Adam belts out La Traviata from the top of the bus – which simply don’t sit well within the show. The delivery of the script fell flat. There is an increase in the sexualisation in the show, containing more groin thrusting that is really needed and seemingly replacing the camp with a vague sleaziness.
The choreography was safe rather than outrageous, and the staging made the performance space seem almost empty when the ensemble cast were performing. Those who are seeing the show for the first time may well find much to enjoy, but disappointingly, this is an incredibly uninspiring production.
On the plus side, the Divas’ were able to belt out the tunes, the soundtrack comprising of a selection of disco classics is stomping and the musical numbers are undertaken with energy and enthusiasm by the ensemble. But sadly, the re-imagined show looked cheap, the costumes were disappointing and tacky, the performances from the main cast were broadly poor and the over the top camp felt sadly lacking.
It must be difficult to drain the life out of such a buoyant and uplifting show, but somehow, this production manages to do just that.
A reader asks our agony uncle whether he’s normal for wanting to dress up in women’s clothing when he has sex.
Dear Uncle
I’m a man who likes the idea of dressing up in women’s clothes during sex. I’m not trans and I’m happy with my body, but the idea of wearing feminine clothes whilst having sex with another guy a turn on. Do you have any advice on cross-dressing for fun? Is it normal?
Mike, 28
Dear Mike,
The question isn’t really whether it’s normal – if it’s what you want to do and you’re with someone else who’s digging it then who gives a flying monkey if it’s “normal”?
There are plenty of guys out there who want to crossdress and there’s also plenty of guys out there who are into that as well – you’re not alone.
Get an online profile
First off set up a profile on your hook up app/website of choice setting out your preferences and the parameters of what you’re looking for. Are you just looking for NSA sex or are you wanting a relationship?
Are you looking for guys to only see you in your feminine attire or do you want people to know you as a whole?
Maybe add a photo and some details about what you’re looking for and offering.
I would say that it’s best to let people know what you’re into first rather than spring it on them after a number of dates.
Just like any pre-meet chat, it’s pretty typical and good to be kept informed on what they want and expect and, of course, visa versa. Dropping into the conversation that you want to try cross-dressing will mean that others can decide whether they’re into it as well, that way they’ll be no crossed wires.
Another suggestion is the dating site https://tvchix.com/ , which welcomes, “all TV’s, CD’s, TG’s, admirers, their partners and friends”
Real-world experience
You could also check your local gay sauna to see if they have any cross-dressing or trans / CD nights where you can dress up however you want. Some venues offer this service so it’s worth checking them out.
And then, of course, you could also seek the services of a professional. Sir Dave, one of the UK’s foremost Fetish specialists told us, “Over the years I have had many clients with an interest in cross-dressing visit me. Many have never dressed in front of anyone before and it is so important to me that they feel comfortable and respected and given a safe space in which to explore their interests and fetishes. Cross-dressing is done for so many different reasons, some times just to explore the feeling.
“Whatever their reason for it, I provide a safe, discreet space for them to enjoy and build their confidence.”
Rip the knickers off London and you’ll find gender-fluid gold, not dreary X-Factor clones! See, London’s not just a place, it’s an idea, inspiration, and way of life! Oh, and not just tedious, straight-living breeder lives – London, my dears, is arguably the world capital of killer diversity! Quite simply, it’s a city throbbing with a unique pulse found nowhere else, and London, unarguably, epitomises the German word
zeitgeist, the spirit of the times. And guess what? Right here, right now, we’re blessed with the pansexual Hostess with the Mostess, San-Franciscan uber-diva Holly Penfield!
Quintessentially American, so naturally extrovert and gregarious – think Katherine Ryan on crystal meth – Holly’s a living lifestyle transplant, importing San Franciscan exuberance in gorgeously digestible chunks for famished Brits!
Never scoped Holly on your Gaydar feeds? My God, you will! Scene queens, of course, will remember Holly’s awesome, kitsch-bitch residencies at the infamous Shadow Lounge and the Savoy Hotel, Oscar Wilde’s favourite, f*ck-buddy pad with twink partner Bosie!
If marginally older than Gaga, but easily predating and exceeding her in pumping charisma, song-writing chops and artistic extravagance, Holly must be seen to be believed. Working audiences with the assured, erotic prowl of a five-star cougar firing on every cylinder, she’s stunningly reclaimed her fabulous forties as an avant-garde hunting-ground for her restless, ever expanding muse.
If normally known to fans as a jazz and show-tune diva, French-kissing the ghost of her idol Judy Garland with a swooning, soothing breathiness that instantly sparks mass, spontaneous orgasms in the audience, the real Holly’s far more exotic, as radical in her image overhauls as Bowie himself.
And – make no mistake – Holly’s kaleidoscopic changes have been noted by the great and the good, from Shirley Bassey and Tom Jones to the haughty Simon Cowell himself, who famously described her as ‘a cross between Bowie and Minelli.’
He’s not wrong. This time around, Holly’s pressed the eject on her previous selves, and re-embraced the ferocious, challenging and musically precocious rock ‘n’ roll singer she started as. Imagine a furious mash-up of Billie Eilish and Lilly Allen and you’ll be half-way there, but new material – jaw-droppingly showcased in her new, Tree Woman – has a growl, grit and passionate ache of raw experience only Holly’s lifetime of exotic excess can give.
Shrewdly – and fittingly – Holly’s chosen to unleash her devastating lyricism on March 8th, International Women’s Day, highlighting not only her adoration of her own sex but also –like Marlene Dietrich – all the thrilling, sensual possibilities beyond outdated gender limits.
Which, naturally, brings us to another crucial aspect of Holly’s nuclear stage charisma; physicality. Sure, there’s an old opera queen cliché that ‘the show’s not over ‘til the fat lady sings”, and while that’s fine for opera, where it’s outstanding vocal technique that counts, rock ‘n’ roll lives and dies by gob-smacking visuals!
Just think; where would Prince, Jagger, and Bowie have been without iconic looks that instantly seared their brand into the collective consciousness? And it’s a no-brainer that to move, entice, seduce and beguile on stage, guys and girls must be super-fit and shockingly ripped.
No problems there for Holly. Toned tighter than an Olympic gymnast, she uncoils herself on stage like a hyperactive whirling dervish, the watching eyes of the audience instantly super-glued to her contagious exuberance. Better yet – even in a set as short as an hour – she executes bravura costume changes as startling as a Surrealist Hall of Mirrors.
There’s full-bodied skeleton suits, self-made hats crowned with stuffed owls that Alexander McQueen would double-take at, and random collisions of mediaeval chain-mail and boho chic Kate Moss would kill for!
Then there are the songs, light-years removed from paid-by-the-word pop drivel, and easily on par with Tom Waits, Noel Coward and Bjork at her quirkiest. No lightweight tales of easy shagging, obsession and resentment – virtually the sole subject matter of grime, drill and rap – Holly, instead, reveals tender moments of loss, acceptance, mortality and life-long, awe-inspiring love. This is the work of an artist quite simply at the peak of her powers, delivered with a remarkable voice that’s a virtuoso master-class in pitch, phrasing and the one quality shockingly absent in current pop-pap – conviction.
In that respect, Tree Woman’s as instantly addictive as some new, unknown Class A drug – you just have to have more! Simply clip on your ear-phones, and step into the singular, sonic soundscapes Holly’s thrillingly staked claim to. There’s the swooning, gypsy waltz of La Recoleta, the stomping, rockabilly shuffle of Diggin’ It, the sultry, insidious seduction of Love Dance, Tree Woman’s bravura engagement with mortality, and the devastating, emotional tsunamis of Stay with Me and The Last Enemy.
And sure, there are further jewels in Tree Woman’s embarrassment of riches, but arguably, they’re best sampled live, from the full, onstage, undeniable mystique of Holly herself. Why wait? Quite perfectly, Holly’s chosen to launch Tree Woman at London’s legendary and iconic 100 Club in Oxford Street, the absolute Ground Zero of cutting-edge, musical maverick dissent since the venue opened.
The flashpoint of Mod – all bug-eyed, feral and sexually insatiable, sartorially immaculate kids on speed – the 100 Club also nurtured the blues, Flower Power and Punk, and – if there’s any justice in Heaven – the ghosts of Muddy Waters, Brian Jones and Sid Vicious will be fist-bumping fellow-traveller Holly on her gig ight!
Our advice? Run, do not walk, to your keyboard ASAP, and lock down tickets now – this is one Tree Woman about to bloom in all her gorgeous, gender-fluid glory!
This Sunday, March 8th @ The 100 Club Oxford Street. Tickets: 100 Club
Intrigue. Attraction. Mystery. Lust. Sex. Murder. These are the themes surrounding two plays rolled into one and called ‘Spy Plays’ now at the Above the Stag Theatre.
David Thame’s ‘Kompromat‘ and ‘London/Budapest‘ are shown together for the first time, and both based on true life events where the same actors play different characters in both, 60 years apart.
‘Kompromat’ which in Russian culture is short for “compromising material”, and which has been previously performed at the Vaults, tells the chilling story of Gareth Williams, the presumedly gay man who worked for a government agency and who was found dead inside a sportsbag in the bathtub in his Pimlico flat in 2010. The show takes the story further by surmising that he picked up a man at a gay bar on that night and took him back to his flat. Guy Warren-Thomas plays Gareth, shy yet brilliant, while Max Rinehart plays Zac, the young mysterious Hungarian who seduces Gareth and perhaps had something to do with his death. In ‘London/Budapest’ it’s 1955 and Author Adam de Hegedus (Warren-Thomas), has just met a young man (Rinehart again, at his most seductive) at the Jermyn Street Baths, and takes him back to his Pimlico flat. But who is this young man? Is he who he says he is?
And did de Hegedus actually commit suicide or was he murdered?
So what links these two men? A Pimlico flat, and that both dead had connections to the spy world. And Director Peter Darney beautifully, with the help of the production team, brings it all to life on one of the stages at Above the Stag. In ‘London/Budapest‘ we are whisked to a appropriate era set with a comfy lounge chair while in ‘Kompromat‘ it’s a modern bachelor flat where death will rear its ugly head. And the acting couldn’t be better. While Rinehart has the most dialogue and delivers it with passion, Warren-Thomas Is just perfect in his duel roles and is also absolutely breathtaking when he enters the stage in ‘Kompromat’ in an outfit that’s unexpected yet very, very sexy.
The Kings Cross neighbourhood continues its renaissance with more and more shops and restaurants opening up, and with new apartment and offices sprouting up like weeds. Also new to this area is Arabica.
Arabica, situated on a corner facing the establishing and pleasantly calm, green space known as Lewis Cubitt Gardens, is slightly away from the hustle and bustle of Coal Drops Yard and Granary Square in this rapidly developing area.
One of six branches in London, Arabica brings food, ingredients and more from the Middle East to London for food and flavours that are delicious and flavourful. The Kings Cross location, open only for four months, is one large room with an open plan kitchen with bar and is a sleek and calm environment with service and food to match. Anyone from a single diner, couples or larger groups would feel comfortable at Arabica, with seating arrangements appropriate for all.
Open seven days a week (the Borough Market location as well), Arabica is open for brunch, lunch and diner. It was the brunch menu that we tried, and we were treated to a combination of dishes which brought a potpourri of smells and flavours to our noses and tastebuds.
The Arabica Fry Up (£10) was just that – Rookery farm eggs (cooked over easy soft), house-cured lamb bacon, beef sujuk, roasted tomato, chestnut mushroom, Za’atar (Persian) bread, served in a small frying pan, and is one delicious dish. The beef sausage and the lamb bacon (rather like mini lamb steaks) were very very good (though a bit too salty), with watercress in the pan to give the dish a bit of colour and zest. While not 100% filling it’s perfect for those who like it all but don’t want to feel too full and bloated.
The Turkish-Style Fried Eggs dish was simple yet flavoursome (£9). Fried Rookery farm eggs with roasted peppers, aubergine, tomato, herbs, and crispy shallots was a bit similar to the fry up, except substituting roasted peppers, aubergines and shallots for the meat, and with parsley sprinkled on top for the green look, with a serving of beef sujuk – slices of a mildly spiced beef sausage – were an excellent accompaniment to this satisfying and tasty dish. Very seasonal and very good.
But the stand out dish was the Moorish Buckwheat Pancakes. A snip at only £7.50, the three large pancakes were amazing. Topped with sweet caramelised bananas, salted date honey caramel, with roasted pecans generously sprinkled on top, and with orange blossom cream which brought together tastes that were very delicious. The pancakes have a great flavour and texture (buckwheat) that make them so very very unique with each mouthful as satisfying as the last. Highly recommended. Other brunch choices include the Breakfast Pide and the Halloumi & Herb Tortilla (both £9).
The Turkish Coffee was thick and aromatic as hoped, with the cardamom flavour clearly and pleasantly evident from first to final sip. The Turkish Delight served alongside this was a lovely touch, and among the best I have sampled, with pistachio nuts and pomegranate molasses providing a sticky, chewy treat, which was not overly sweet.
Perhaps a visit for dinner is in order just to be able to eat dishes from the Hot Mezze selection (Steak & Bone Marrow Pita and Lamb Kibbeh are some of the highlights), the Clay Oven choices (Babaganoush Man’Ousheh and the Lahmacun – Turkish pizza with spiced lamb), or the Charcoal Menu (Berbere Spiced Cauliflower, Beef Shish, and the Chicken & Pistachio Shish), as well as the Vegetable and Grains section which all sound very very delicious and very very healthy.
The cocktails, though we didn’t try any, also sound amazing, from the Turkish Delight (Vodka, hibiscus liqueur, strawberry & rosewater jam, vanilla aquafaba – £9) to the Pomegranate Margarita (yummy – £11), or the Halva Daiquiri (Dark rum, fig & hazelnut liqueur, ginger syrup, lime, tahini aquafaba, walnut bitters – wow – £12) or perhaps the Turkish Coffee Martini (£10) which will no doubt blow your socks off.
The selection of fresh, delicious and very very good food are some of the reasons I’d go back to Arabica, whether the Kings Cross of the other restaurant locations (Borough), Selfridges (Food Hall) or to the Market stall locations (Borough again, Southbank and Real Food Markets). Great service, beautiful looking food, and a generally warm feeling all over are other reasons I’d go back.
A doctor has made the case for people to stop using the words “Dirty” and “Clean” when talking about people and their sexual health.
Doctor Naomi Sutton who is a trustee for the sexual health charity, Saving Lives, uploaded a thought-provoking video in which she pleaded with viewers to stop using the words “clean” and “dirty” to describe people and their sexual health because of the stigma that those words carry.
In the video, the doctor, who also stars in the E4 show The Sex Clinic holds up a number of placards with a simple message; let’s not use “dirty” and “clean” as words to describe sexual health and for us all to get tested for STIs more regularly.
She also pointed out that STIs were not a matter of personal hygiene and that there was no way of telling who has an STI by just looking at them.
Let’s stop using the words “clean” and “dirty” to describe people and their sexual health.
It just promotes STIGMA and misunderstanding.
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are not a matter of personal hygiene, You cannot tell by looking at or talking to someone whether or not they have an STI.
All STIs can be present without symptoms, including HIV, syphilis, Chlamydia, Gonorrhoea, Herpes Virus and the wart virus (HPV).
Chlamydia and Gonorrhoea tests are easy to do,
a) a wee in a pot for men
b) a self-taken vaginal swab in women.
HIV and syphilis tests are simple blood test…. book in today and get tested!
Let’s talk about sex and STIs openly and honestly without stigma or shame.
It is recommended that sexually active people, who have a number of different sexual partners should go for an STI test at their local Sexual Health clinic every 3 to 6 months, or order a FREE at-home HIV test kit from Saving Lives. if you use the promo code: GAYUK20.
For petrol heads alike, Wheeler Dealers returns this month, well today to be precise with the likeable motoring geeza Mike Brewer, the one who buys and sells the cars with easy on the eyes mechanic and very good with his hands, Ant Anstead who does the fixing of whatever Mike has plunged deep into his pockets and bought.
This series we see the following:
o 1972 Fiat 124 Spider
o 1973 Toyota Celica
o 2002 Mercedes Benz E55 AMG
o 2004 BMW M3
o Volvo Amazon 122
o Toyota Land Cruiser
o 1985 Merkur XR4Ti
o Ford Bronco
o 1982 Porsche 911 SC
That’s 6 European, 2 Japanese and 1 American. Now you might be wondering what a Merkur XR4Ti is when clearly the Bronco is the American hero of the show. The Merkur (not really a name that promotes motoring romance I have to say, is your actual Ford Sierra XR4i. It’s just very much Americanised.
You’ll find more in that in episode 6 of 9 though for my money I’ll be glued to the screen with the phone off the hook for episode 4. This is where Mike finds a 1972 Fiat 124 Spider. It’s all-original, but the driving experience leaves a lot to be desired. Mike gets crafty on the interior while Ant fixes a leaky differential and replaces a carrier bearing and axle seals.
Wheeler Dealers has been with us for many years and in that time Mike and the team have travelled across Europe and the globe to find cars to return to the garage for repairs. As is in the real world, you rarely buy a car and do nothing to it. In this series, the boys return to America to do their buying and selling. And why not, I look out to my garage and in the bleak cold damp of March, I envy the thoughts of opening the garage doors and letting in the sun.
DISCOVERY TV
So tune into Discovery channel over the next nine weeks to find out more on how Mike holds out his hand and Ant gets greasy.
Multinational insurance company, AIG have hired Assi Azar and his husband to become the first gay couple to front a major commercial in Israel.
Assi and Albert Escola have become the faces of a brand new advertising campaign in Israel by the Insurance giant, AIG.
The couple will be making adverts for the company for the next two years, the Jerusalem Post reports. The first advert is due to air next month.
Assi, who is one of Israel’s most sought after television hosts married his partner Albert in 2016. The couple met in 2012 at a Madonna concert in Barcelona.
In 2019 the couple announced that they were starting the process of looking for a surrogate mother so that they could start a family of their own.
Speaking to THEGAYUK Yifat Reiter, CEO of AIG said, “Assi and Albert bring to the screen authenticity, human warmth and credibility; they are perfect to lead AIG’s advertising in the coming years. We are excited to work together with the couple. “
The campaign, with the advertising agency Reuveni Friedan, is expected to launch next week. Assi Azar has been at the top of the Israeli entertainment industry for years, and Albert Escola, his spouse and an architect by trade, is a rising star in his own right since his participation in the reality show “yes Man“.
A spokesperson added “Assi’s and Albert’s relationship brings something new, fresh and relevant to the screen – both a warm, captivating and humorous dynamic. The couple will be an integral part of the company’s advertising strategy in the coming years”
The British HIV Association (BHIVA) has issued a statement saying that people living with HIV are at no greater risk regarding coronavirus.
However, the BHIVA has recommended that people living with HIV should follow the updates from Public Health England, Health Protection Scotland, Public Health Wales, the Department of Health Northern Ireland and the Health Service Executive Ireland.
It also suggests that people with HIV received an “influenza and pneumococcal vaccination in line with BHIVA vaccine guidelines.”
According to a statement, those who are at risk from Coronavirus are older age people and those with “co-morbidities including renal disease and diabetes”.
Matthew Hodson, The Executive Director of Nam AIDSMAP took to twitter to say, “At this point, there’s no evidence to suggest that people with #HIV are more likely to acquire #Coronavirus – or are more likely to have serious illness or death if they do acquire the virus. People with HIV should take the same precautions as everyone.”
At this point, there's no evidence to suggest that people with #HIV are more likely to acquire #Coronavirus – or are more likely to have serious illness or death if they do acquire the virus. People with HIV should take the same precautions as everyone.https://t.co/pCq8sQpV5ypic.twitter.com/c8l0iZ6Tb9
Advice from health professionals at this time suggest practising good hand sanitisation such as washing your hands regularly and using anti-bacterial soaps or gels, particularly if you’re preparing food and after using the toilet.
You should also be covering your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing with tissues and then discarding those tissues after use.
Well, now you can do that with Grindr. Instead of using your phone and zapping up all that valuable battery power, you can log onto Grindr’s chat website using your computer – all you need to do is log on to web.grindr.com/mail.
How do you log into Grindr’s Website?
You’ll need to open the app on your phone and open up Grindr on your desktop computer. On your phone, go to settings (by clicking on your profile and clicking on to the settings options) You’ll see an option saying, “Log in to Grindr web”.
You’ll then have to scan the QR code, with your phone, shown on your desktop screen and voila, Grindr will link your phone and your computer.
Once linked, you’ll be able to see all your previous messages, respond to them, check profiles and basically use Grindr as you normally would.
It will require access to your location in order to use the GPS function.
In-office view, no one will be able to tell that you’re using Grindr to check for messages as it looks just like a normal webmail service.
There’s also a work/ office view – which means that no one can see that you’re actually on Grindr.
An unseen stalker is wreaking havoc on the life of a San Francisco woman in the new version of ‘The Invisible Man.’
Elisabeth Moss plays Cecilia – who literally runs away from her very wealthy tech genius of a husband Adrian (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) because of his mental and emotional abuse. But Cecelia has not completely broken away from trouble – she feels like she is being watched, spied on, and stalked by someone, something. But her sister Alice (Harriet Dyer) informs her that Adrian has committed suicide, and shows Cecelia the news on her smartphone. So her sister reassures her that she is free from Adrian and all the torment that he had caused her. But her unease continues and racks up even more when strange things start to happen (a blanket pulled off from her bed, footsteps seen on the ground).
This invisible stalker becomes more bold and violent, enough so that an unseen force murders her sister in plain sight, framing Cecila for the murder. She is convinced that her ‘dead’ husband is still alive, even after being assured that he’s dead by Adrian’s lawyer brother Tom (Michael Dorman). Writer and Director Leigh Whannel (’Saw’) really ratchets up the scare factor, including in quiet moments in the film when Cecilia is tending to normal activities.
Moss is very good as the victim, and as the film creeps up to its 2 hour running time, the suspense builds, though there are a couple of moments of disbelief.
All in all ‘The Invisible Man’ is one scary film that successfully reimagines the very scary HG Wells original.
