DragSpeare: Drag Kings do Shakespeare was an entertaining evening of songs and soliloquies, mixing the Bard’s poetry with popular music and sending up masculinity and ideas of capital-C culture. Presented as part of MELT Festival 2024, the overarching narrative was that of The Stallion Squad, a group of Drag Kings touring their cabaret show to every RSL from Innisfail to Goondiwindi. Partway through their Brisbane show, they lament that they are seen only for their sex appeal and decide to incorporate some of history’s greatest theatre into the act to demonstrate their depth and range.
The studs of the Stallion Squad were heartthrob York Lit (Jules Berry), Italian stallion Rocky V Liquor (Michelle Lamarca), free spirit Biron Bothways (Anne Pensalfini), otherworldly Pan Teasetickle (Lucinda Shaw) and Sinatra-esque crooner Swingin’ Dick (Jo Loth). Between them, the Kings took on a number of Shakespeare’s most notable leading lads, from Romeo and Hamlet to Macbeth, King Lear, and Richard III.
Written by Anne Pensalfini and directed by Lucinda Shaw alongside directorial advisor Heidi Gledhill, DragSpeare opened with a mashup of Moving Pictures’ What About Me?, sung by Rocky V Liquor, and My Chemical Romance’s Welcome to the Black Parade, sung by York Lit. Swingin’ Dick insisted that he wanted to bring some class to The Stallion Squad, and his jazzy version of Eye of the Tiger was a musical highlight of the show.
Hamlet’s existential despair was explored through Gary Jules’ famous cover of Tears for Fears’ Mad World, sung by Biron; Romeo and Juliet declared the world would Never Tear Us Apart (INXS); and Richard III seduced Anne to Radiohead’s Creep, among other musical additions.
Biron Bothways was particularly captivating, leaning into characters ranging from Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, to Juliet Capulet with complete commitment and a command of the language and meaning of each character he played. Pan Teasetickle brought a memorable intensity (and vocal performance) to King Lear. York Lit played the devotion of Anne and the teenage swagger of Romeo with equal vigour, and Rocky V Liquor brought a diamond-in-the-rough braggadocio to a leather-clad Richard III (and his winter of “discount tents”) and a deadpan sense of drama to Lady Macbeth. Swingin’ Dick established himself as the highbrow Stallion and his explanations to the others provided context for the audience around each of the Shakespearean characters that appeared, coaching his fellow Kings even as they demonstrated their skill.
As the show went on, there were disagreements between the Kings about their approach to the Bard’s material, devolving into a fight that included scatting, Karate-Kid-style kicks, and plenty of sound effects. Although the narrative device of the cabaret-within-the-cabaret faded towards the end, DragSpeare wrapped up with an amusing, abridged version of Puck’s closing monologue from A Midsummer Night’s Dream that drew it all together nicely.
The Kings moved in and out of the audience, entering from different points, engaging those seated at the cabaret tables, and performing some great group choreography and physical comedy. Simple props and costumes were used to great effect. For example, Biron stood wide-eyed atop a stepladder as Juliet on her balcony, and Rocky drew red scarves from his leather jacket sleeves (worn under a tinsel-stuffed babydoll) for the dramatic slapstick death of Lady Macbeth.
The lighting of the stage changed colours to indicate the shifts between Shakespeare’s plays and characters, and whipped up the iconic storm in King Lear as Pan Teasetickle delivered Lear’s monologue (accompanied by Rocky V Liquor as the Fool, having reverently donned a red clown nose for the occasion).
You don’t need to be a Shakespeare fan to enjoy the comedy and banter of DragSpeare, although if you’re familiar with these iconic roles you’ll appreciate the powerful delivery the Kings provide. The Stallion Squad are serious in their talents but playful in their approach to gender and to their exploration of some of Shakespeare’s most famous characters.
Full of leather, feathers, laughter, and iconic music that the audience could identify from the opening bars, DragSpeare: Drag Kings Do Shakespeare was a highly entertaining evening that interwove instantly recognisable musical and cultural texts with magnificent drag personas, excellent vocal performances, gripping monologues, and plenty of cheeky humour.
DragSpeare: Drag Kings Do Shakespeare will be performed at PIP Theatre, Milton, from 1 – 9 November 2024
For further information, visit the Melt Festival website
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