Being Dragons virgins we weren’t exactly sure what to expect. Although, given the production was anchored by the irrepressible Bryony Skillington (represented by her regular alter ego LOLa La BOmb) we had a pretty good idea we would be treated to some eclectic and entertaining mayhem. And we certainly were.
We’d picked up in advance that Dragons shows revolve around the idea of getting established drag performers to work their makeover magic on a couple of celebrity 'baby dragons', transforming them into their own, unique drag personas for the evening. We had the notion that the dragging up process might be part of the show, but actually our two freshly hatched glam queens emerged onto the stage fully formed and ready to be fabulous.
First up was Penny Tration (comedian Penny Ashton). Penny is a hilarious fun-grenade whatever she’s doing, and her drag turn was no exception. Ms Tration took the ‘Cold Snap’ theme to heart, singing her own version of that song from Frozen live and with gusto. She also danced, pranced and ricochet-ed round the room in a manner not generally recommended in heels. If she'd decided not to go into comedy I reckon Penny could've represented NZ in some sport which required athletic hyperactivity. Penny returned later in the show as her own cousin, Fallopian Tunes, to blast out another song.
The evening's other dragon hatchling was Alliver Clothesoff (theatre and TV director Oliver Driver). Ms Clothesoff suffered from two handicaps: 1) not being able to locate any killa heels to fit her generous feet, and 2) following Penny Ashton. Despite these setbacks, Alliver rose to the occasion, strutting around the small stage area in sneakers and filing up the available space with such expansiveness that she literally began to burst out of her costume. Oliver also transformed into a hilarious mutant Swedish Bjorkalike later in the evening.
The costumes and makeup were gorgeous, and both performers were a credit to the team who transformed and coached them. Central to this process were drag phenomena Arabia Lé Veil and Trenyce Bhone who, aside from offering their experience and advice, also treated us to wonderful turns of their own, to show us how the professionals do it.
Holding it all together with her signature haphazard rigour was the deliciously foul-mouthed LOLa La BOmb, who MC'd and wisecracked her way through the evening. She prowled the stage furrily, flirtingly and funnily, occasionally belting out a spine-tingling song to the flawless musical accompaniment of the F#Bombs.
Finally, I'm not sure who the fit and fabulous troupe of dancers were, but they complemented each act beautifully and were a visual treat in their own right. The finale was all the clap-along, sing-along, cheer-along goodness you could hope for. And quite honestly, if you haven’t been glitter-bombed by the end of the evening, can you really say you’ve had the best night possible?
It was all huge fun and we're definitely keeping our diaries poised for the next Dragons show in August.
- Jay
