Panti Bliss – If These Wigs Could Talk ★★★★
Soho Theatre, London
Panti Bliss is the Queen of Ireland. Drag queen, activist and author, and she has been the face of Irish LGBTQ+ politics since 2014 when a speech she gave about homophobia and transphobia went viral. It led to a national debate about Ireland’s role in the world, its history of persecution of sexual minorities and the religious discomfort about sex in general.
Her new show If These Wigs Could Talk, playing at the Soho Theatre, is anchored in her biography like her previous show High Heels & Low Expectations. Having lived a reckless and fabulous life there are plenty of tall tales to tell, yet they all have the glitter of truth. In this show, we learn about her fake Brazilian boyfriend and the scam she pulled on the Irish ambassador in Vienna, plus her penchant for trafficking sex toys through security checkpoints. She paints each story as vividly as her makeup and the laughs flow from the believable absurdity of their observations. She deftly avoids the tyranny of punchlines but throws in the odd cheeky one just because she can.
At the age of 54, at a time when drag has moved on from its radical, angry queerness into an endless torrent of YouTube makeup tutorials and perfectly concocted outfits on Instagram, Panti has been asking herself what her purpose in life now is. Is there space for transgressive politics now that drag queens are sold like packaged goods? Despite all the laughs in the show, and there are many, there are biting questions about the arc of progressive politics. Panti shares her renewed sense of purpose-driven by the increasingly inflammatory row about transgender rights. She sees the trans debate as the ‘canary in the coal mine’ for a resurgence of rabid right-wing reactionaries. She is once again ready to dig in her high heels, sharpen her nails and fight for a better future.
Panti Bliss is a talker. Quick and garrulous. The words tumble down on the audience. At first, she offers picturesque and fun meanderings but by the 75th minute, she is as fierce and directed as a fire hose. She talks about the lessons of drag rather than simply its history. It’s these lessons she uses to project its future and her future. Panti Bliss will be sticking around to lead the way still. However, she only has a short run at the Soho Theatre until the 10th of June. So, catch her if you can. (If you’re one of the global Queerguru audiences who is still not on the Elizabeth line then at least check out High Heels and Low Expectations in the Soho Theatre series on Amazon Prime)
Review by ANDREW HEBDENQueerguru Contributing Editor ANDREW HEBDEN is a MEDIA & CULTURAL STUDIES graduate spending his career between London, Beijing, and NYC as an expert in media and social trends. As part of the expanding minimalist FIRE movement, he recently returned to the UK and lives in Soho. He devotes as much time as possible to the movies, theatre, and the gym. His favorite thing is to try something (anything) new every day”
PS When Queerguru visited Dublin in 2018 we were granted an “Audience with The Queen of Ireland” which if you dont mind the less than perfect camerawork (!) you may like to check out HERE
