Late Night Lip Service – Gilded Balloon Rose Theatre, Edinburgh

Hosted by Gingzilla

Reviewer: Dominic Corr

Well, my, my, my Miss Gingzilla, had the adoration not been clear before, this evening’s ravenous crowd make it obvious to see our host for Late Night Lip Service is a Goddess of the Fringe.

Serving up filth Thursday – Saturday, Late Night Lip Service is where to go if you want what the Fringe can offer once all the tourists and kids have gone to bed. This evening, the talent on show (plenty was on display) is pretty split. On one hand, we’re in for a treat with Fringe favourites YUCK Circus or Gary Starr. The delightful musings of Imaan Hadchiti, who delivers a roar of a climax for our guest acts – others though, fall into the ‘marmite’ category.

Let’s be honest folks, we’re here for the proper climax, the full, intense climax courtesy of Gingzilla. Already stamping a presence on the Drag scene, Gingzilla uses those deep sultry tones, not only as a weapon but conjuring emotional hues. Her hosting skills unmatched in this style of event, the audience are putty in those silky, yet muscular palms. Her costume design, a spectacle in its own right – takes the prize for best dressed every evening.

Late Night Lip Service is chaos personified, which shows – not always in a decadent way. Chaos offers unpredictable enjoyment, but it can also cause hitches, odd acts which offer nothing except titillation. It could benefit from dropping one or two, sacrificing time and shortening the runtime to a 90-minute showcase.

The bearded-belle of the Fringe once more plunges the Rose Theatre into the pits of debauchery, this is Edinburgh after dark – and it’s what you’ve been lusting for. Acts spanning the globe, with talents unsavoury to some, envied by others, Late Night Lip Service is the night-out you didn’t expect, but so desperately need.

Runs on August 22, 23 & 24 August 2019 | Image: Contributed