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The greatest show and other bromances: Adam Riches and John Kearns ARE Ball and Boe @sohotheatre

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Alfie Boe and Michael Ball seem to be a bit of a joke act anyway. Their endless interpretations of popular songs (also known as covers) and their double-act bromance make them quintessential crossover artists where popular music meets opera and Broadway. And a perilous choice for the discerning listener. It’s not that they aren’t talented musicians and performers in their own right. Still, their musical choices are always safe, predictable and less than their potential. But every country deserves to have a pair of self-described national treasures that can tour the local arenas and give people a good time for the bargain price of £175 a seat.  And so the concept of Adam Riches and John Kearns - two world-famous from the Edinburgh Fringe comedians taking on this bromance seems like a curious choice for a Christmas musical fare. One can only hope that over the fourteen nights, it is playing at the Soho Theatre that the show evolves into something more substantial than a series of po...

A broad range: Jinkx Monsoon Sings Everything @lsqtheatre

Thanks to Ru Paul’s Drag Race being one of the shows available to stream for some time on Netflix, series five winner Jinkx Monsoon is a bit of a star over here. Now she’s here in London for a few days at the Leicester Square Theatre singing songs, improvising and doing stuff.

For the few people that don’t have a Netflix subscription, Ru Paul’s Drag Race is a hilarious send up of the reality show format. But it’s also given rise to a new breed of drag super stars. They sing, they strut, they teach you how to throw shade.

In this show, with her combination of improvised comedy and a relentless voice, Jinkx Monsoon gives you a night to remember.


She doesn’t sing everything. The show is only 90 minutes and the theatre doesn’t want to stay open all night. But there’s no set list and so it’s a showcase for improvisation. The audience calls out songs and Jinkx makes a show out of it.

The only problem with this is when you’re audience is wasted and only calling out uninspiring choices, you may not get to see the best Jinkx has to offer.

A cute but musically ignorant audience member suggested she sing Climb Every Mountain... A song not known for its comic potential. Another suggested she sing that hilarious song from Wicked Defying Gravity. Jinkx does lay down some ground rules. But another might be to think about what’s appropriate for a drag super star to sing for its comic potential. And her vocal abilities. Afterall when she’s not shouting, Jinkx has a terrific vocal range.

Perhaps the audience will be better for the remaining nights. Jinkx will be fabulous no matter what.

Jinkx Sings Everything with versatile accompanist Joshua Stephen Kartes is at the Leicester Square Theatre until 28 October. Look out for the UK Tour with Major Scales as The Vaudevillians from 3rd November to 9th December.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


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