Devisors: Puja Sarup, Sheena Khalid, Rachel D’Souza and Ratnabali Bhattacharjee, with Amey Mehta and Srishti Dixit
Welcome to The Gentlemen’s Club, Mumbai’s first and only (and also fictitious) Drag King club. A place where patrons are entertained by women performing as men in a series of cabaret turns that blends contemporary music and dance with a heavy dose of Bollywood nostalgia.
While The Gentlemen’s Club has its fair share of song and dance numbers, this show is not just a series of performances. It’s actually a play about the history of the club interspersed with drag turns. Taking this approach is an inspired move as it gives so much context to the Kings and the concept of the club. As the story unfolds, we are given an insight into each of the performers, a better understanding of India’s LGBTQ+ political and social situation, and some insight as to why drag is so vital to them.
If all that sounds a bit heavy, don’t fret, it is not. It’s the polar opposite. It is a delightful mix of narrative play and cabaret turn; it is very funny and surprisingly camp. The show is performed in a blend of Hindi and English, but such are the strengths of the performances that even with no grasp of Hindi, the audience knows what’s going on and still laugh in the right places. Similarly, the nods to Bollywood are done in a way that keeps aficionados and novices alike delighted.
The ensemble of performers is pitch-perfect in their various guises to give us a host of characters from a 60’s Bollywood icon to a Justin Timberlake wannabe. And, in a moment, reminiscent of Julie Andrews’ performance in Victor Victoria, there’s a drag king being a drag queen… so a woman, posing as a man, posing as a woman. Wonderfully meta and wonderfully funny.
The Drag King scene is still relatively small in the UK, especially compared to the Drag Queen scene, but if The Gentlemen’s Club gets anywhere near the recognition it deserves, it will bring an army of fans to this artform. This is the group’s first international show, and it’s only on for a short run, so don’t think twice about it… just go see it. It’s inventive, funny, engaging and a real delight.
Runs until 12 October 2024
The Reviews Hub Score
Spicy cabaret delight.
