Following the sell-out success of 2016’s inaugural Un-Royal Variety in the historic setting of Hackney Empire, international drag star and performance artist Jonny Woo will return for two nights this Winter alongside a stellar line-up.
Delivering his affectionate yet provocative alternative to the annual Royal Variety Performance, Woo once again presents his signature take on variety, with an acerbic, subversive and political punch.
Accompanied by a big, brassy rock band and a 30-strong dance troupe of gender-fluid club kids, Woo MCs, sings, dances, conducts and tethers together an evening featuring US sensation CHRISTEENE, who flies over from the Deep South especially, as well as award-winning operatic comic Jayde Adams, and, fresh from the success of Triple Threat, Lucy McCormick, who will present something brand new.
Joining them are maverick Australian performer Leah Shelton, Frank Lavender, Pete & Bambi Heaven (La Soiree’s Asher Treleaven and Gypsy Wood – Miss Cage Dance Australia), Diane Chorley AKA The Duchess Of Canvey, plus an array of auspicious guests including Bourgeois & Maurice, Lavinia Co-Op, David Mills, lip-synching sensation Frieda Slaves and music courtesy of Nostalgia Of The Mothership.
This November, the Hackney Empire will be indeed ruled by Jonny Woo as he embarks again on his Un-Royal extravaganza. Get set for double the irreverence of last year as the glitterati prepare to hang from of theatre boxes and run amok through the theatre’s historic stalls. A raucous good time is firmly on the agenda complete with spectacular performances, laughs, politics and love.
Woo is an acclaimed drag star and performance artist at the heart of London’s counter culture. His slate of work traverses comedy, cabaret, theatre, live art and drag. Since 2003, he has built a significant body of work featuring large-scale and solo shows, with residencies at The Soho Theatre, Bistrotheque and ICA, and commissions from The National Theatre and The Royal Opera House.
Jonny Woo’s Un-Royal Variety takes place on Friday 3 and Saturday 4 November at 7.30pm, with an age recommendation of 18+.
You can book your tickets through the Hackney Empire website.