THEATRE REVIEW | Victorian & Gay – where cooks cook, and ladies lady
What chestnut-cracking season’s complete without multiple bonkers reenactments of Dicken’s Scrooge, pussy jokes articulated in beautiful Victorian English, a couple of murders and some good old festive references to sodomy – falalalala la la la la? ★★★★
Writers Bethany Greenwood and Steffi Walker bring you their Victorian & Gay yuletide offerings, complete with coarse caroling, a Kate Bush impersonation, Wuthering Heights innuendos, decorated with imbibing and trimmed with Jingle-Belling horseplay.
You’ll feel as though you’re part of the merry, mulled wine fuelled mischief as you sit in Lady Ermintrude’s (Bethany Greenwood) and Lady Griselda’s (Steffi Walker) parlour, gawping at the goodwill gropings, soaking up the sh*t-stick, nun-f*cking, five-gold-ringing banter. If you’re lucky, dashing Gideon (Monty Jones) might share his good tidings, and sleigh-bell his plum-pudding on your Christmas-tree, (sit on ya knee).
This is a non-stop 80 mins of festive frolics, a royal Noël, and the reality that being attracted to the same sex was no Winter Wonderland when Queen Victoria reigned. Director Dave Spencer’s magic matches that of Saint Nicholas with this medley of narratives, portrayed seamlessly as if you were a wiseman at the scene after Virgin Mary popped out the crucifix-lounger.
Mrs Winterbottom’s (Lottie Davies) boobage, drunken friskiness and Welsh inflections make her the shiniest bauble, sparkliest star and filthiest fairy on this Xmas evergreen. To get you Rockin’ Around ya crimbo conifer and jolly with eggnog-ing spirit, Victorian & Gay should be on your Christmas list.
Mon to Sat: 8 – 31 Dec 2015
I’ve lived in the Old Smoke since 1999 with a career in fashion, fitness and events. I discovered the joys of writing beginning of 2014. Since then I’ve been tapping digits to keys. Subjects include food, theatre, exhibitions, London life and other topics that tickle my taste-buds. Other publications include Timeout, Gay Times and So So Gay Magazine.
