12.98°C On the final day of the Colchester Fringe, it was an absolute joy to attend this show at Colchester Arts Centre. Put together by Drag Queen Aria Close and Drag King Frankie Heartless, it was a showcase of great music, wonderful costume changes and instrumental virtuosity. Aria and Frankie are brilliant musicians – that’s always been the case – but this year they created a superbly crafted show with seamless transitions and infectious energy. There were a couple of technical hitches, but they did nothing to detract from the overall enjoyment of the occasion.
The violin duets were a pleasure to hear from the start, and we were then treated to a panoply of musical delights ranging from The Wizard of Oz, with Frankie in a fantastic Tin Man outfit, to Aria, whose violin playing is heavenly, performing solos from Les Misérables and The Phantom of the Opera – with Frankie reappearing as the Phantom. Frankie also demonstrated a lovely singing voice with a rendition of I Won’t Send Roses from Mack and Mabel. There was even a section from Cats – yes, complete with Frankie in a wonderful feline costume – before the finale mega mix brought the two violins together again for joyful tunes including The Lonely Goatherd, I Know Him So Well, and I’m a Believer.
The highlight of the show for me was Aria’s version of ABBA’s Lay All Your Love On Me, performed in a stunning swimsuit with choreography by Jamie Coenen, who joined Aria on stage dressed as a frogman. You really had to be there to appreciate it fully.
A great show – 45 minutes of joyous, creative, and thoroughly entertaining musical theatre.
Review by Tim Young.
