Stage: Lilly Slaptsilli in Shurrup – Rhumbelow Theatre, Umbilo, Durban
– Final performances at 7.30pm today (Saturday, August 16) and 2pm tomorrow (Sunday, August 17)
REVIEW BY BILLY SUTER
SIX years since her last performance in Durban at Umbilo’s Rhumbelow Theatre, Cape Town’s grand dame of drag, the towering inferno of talent and glitz that is the sassy, warm and animated Lilly Slaptsilli, sashays into the spotlight again with an outpouring of stand-up comedy and lip-sync that is a right royal treat.
Appearing In the first half of Shurrup as a blonde in a sequinned mini dress with killer legs; and in the second half as a redhead with legs kicking from the slit of a glittering gown, this mistress of mirth and mayhem commands the stage from the get-go. She continues to hold all in a tight grasp and in fits of laughter throughout a routine marked by wit that is quick and sharp.
Shurrup has Lilly milking comedy through chats about life experiences one moment, exchanging playful banter with audience members the next . And, of course, via a handbag full of popular characters she made famous on social media – the cool-dude surfer, the Cape Coloured woman whose video montage involving sign language got Lilly into trouble and, of course, whingeing kugel Beryl who loathes husband Lionel.
Woolworths bags; varied acquaintances who walk their dogs in a park; explanations of gay terminology; Donald Trump’s hair; Rupaul’s Drag Race; the aches and pains of age on a drag queen in skyscraper heels – merriment comes from discussions about all of these things, and more, including a lively chat about a holiday in Amsterdam involving Lilly’s hairdresser sister, carrot cake and marijuana.
Then, of course, there are the lip-syncs that first made Lilly famous 25 years ago, when she teamed with fellow drag queen Keiron Legacy as the duo, Mince, which was hugely popular countrywide .
Lilly opens her new show with a vampy version of Big Spender, later lip-syncs to a live concert recording by Barbra Streisand, then goes on to present a very different version of Sweet Transvestite. She also offers a mime to classic, spoken-word dialogue from TV’s Designing Women and ends her show on a poignant note with a lip-sync to a strong, unexpected version of Tomorrow from Annie. She aces each one of these varied items, and the crowd roars with approval.
Shurrup is a constant hoot and well worth seeing. Sunday’ s Rhumbelow Theatre performance is sold out, but there are tickets remaining for tonight’s 7.30 performance. Do yourself a favour and pop along! Take a picnic basket (seating is at tables) but note that you have to buy drinks at the theatre pub.
Tickets cost R250 each and are available at Webtickets or by mailing roland@stansell.co.za
.....SoSuterBill..... 