Sasha Velour – Smoke And Mirrors
Simply referring to Sasha Velour as a drag queen underestimates her sheer artistry and inimitable performance skills. Velour has transcended the idea of a near-caricatured depiction of uber female and created a highly-stylised androgenous persona who is dramatic and exquisite.
As the season nine winner of the phenomenally successful Ru Paul’s Drag Race, a show which like other reality shows, has become a star-making conveyer belt, Velour has been catapulted into mainstream fame. Velour is debuting her first solo show, Smoke And Mirrors, in Australia in January and many venues on the itinerary have already sold out. The show will take audiences on a vicarious walk through the vibrant, bizarre drag scene that thrives in Brooklyn. Velour will perform alone but in multiple iterations of herself, aided by a magnificent wardrobe and her extraordinary signature face art. She will regale her audiences with stories and with renditions of some of her favourite (and most popular) songs including Cellophane, This Woman’s Work, and Don’t Cry Out Loud. The program will include new selections too and we’re assured all the material is family friendly.
Velour’s visual splendour comes as no surprise when you glimpse at her credentials: she’s a recognised artist whose works have been shown in solo exhibitions throughout New York; she has drawn a comic book series; she produces the highly regarded drag show, Nightgowns, in Brooklyn; she co-founded the drag magazine, Velour, with her partner; and she is a pro-active campaigner, thought leader, and commentator on LGBT issues, gender and queer politics. But, above all, she is a commensurate entertainer.
Jan 12. Enmore Theatre, 118-132 Enmore Rd, Newtown. $79.15-$120.50+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.enmoretheatre.com.au
By Rita Bratovich
