Is there anything better than watching a filthy drag queen in a tent on the Southbank? I think not. Moving up in the world, Royal Vauxhall Tavern favourite Myra Dubois made her debut at the Spiegel Tent at the London Wonderground. But don’t worry, in the same way J-Lo is still Jenny from The Block, Myra is Rotherham’s least celebrated daughter.
While Myra’s caustic wit and biting sense of humour are reassuringly familiar, the show has got bigger! Opening with her own theme song (I’m an admirer, a self-admirer!) Myra dazzles in a slightly Pat Butcher-esque outfit with hair higher than Nigella Lawson’s kitchen. While ramshackle is the style that Myra is going for, the show itself looks beautifully jazzy and London Wonderground suits her down to a T.
What’s fantastic about Myra Dubois is even when the audience throw her a curveball she bounces back with a cutting comment which brings out the laughs. Even when she plays ‘fumbled’, Myra is always completely in control and in character, which is no easy thing to do with a tipsy crowd and her style of material.
Self-Admirer is an absolutely fantastic hour well spent; full of filthy jokes, cackles and sequins, this show is best served with a double gin. Rather like a game of Cards of Humanity, Myra Dubois will have you in hysterics with jokes that even Frankie Boyle probably wouldn’t get away with. But then he’s not in 3 inch heels is he sweetie?
Reviewed by Roz Carter
