Hocum Pokem

 

Last Saturday I went back in time to a place where witches are reborn, cats can talk and spell books have eyes! No, I wasn't watching 90's Disney classic Hocus Pocus, but sitting in the audience of the drag parody Hocum Pokem starring US drag royalty Peaches Christ and Jinkx Monsoon and UK female drag queen Holestar as that tricksy trio of witches The Manderson Sisters!

This wasn't my first time seeing a Peaches Christ Production, last year I watched her fantastic version of Return to Grey Gardens and way back in 2010 I was lucky enough to perform as a backing 'monster' in the UK premiere of Peaches film All About Evil at Manchester's Midnight Mass. With this is mind I was looking forward to something wickedly fabulous, and Hocum Pokem at the Contact Theatre Manchester, did not disappoint!

Sitting as part of a dressed up glamorous and ghoulish audience the show began with the capture and hanging of the Manderson's 300 years ago before we were quickly whisked to modern day 1993 where virgin Max, played expertly by comedian Kate McCabe, unwittingly lights the Black Flame Candle and brings the sisters sauntering back to life for one night only. The girls looked amazing with Peaches suiting the huge red curls and sparkling green gown of Bette Midler to a tee, while Jinkx looked every bit as sexy in the role made famous by Sarah Jessica Parker in the original film.

When Max and his little Cousin Wonderlette (I've never seen the like!) steal the spell book that could keep Peaches and her sisters alive forever they kicked off a series of events that bore close resemblance to the film yet took on a drag life of their own on stage. Handsome Billy Bitcherson was raised from the dead to give chase, and we were treated to the vocal talents of Holestar singing her own version of Proud Mary (she really can belt it out!). We also got treated to the local talents of dancing aces The Ultra Violets, and the storytelling/hosting skills of Manchester's Anna Phylactic.
 

With lots of improvisation and jokes, not to mention audience interaction, the show flew by and before I knew it the sun was rising and the sisters were forced to return to the dead, but not before another big showstopper!

Not wanting the make up and glitter to end and having been put in the mood for a serious dance we then attended the after show party 'Witch I'm Madonna' at Cruz101 where Peaches and Jinkx, in fabulous new attire, hosted a night of Madonna themed drag acts performed by local talent.

I have to say watching Jinkx Monsoon in any guise is a thrill! She just has something that captivates and yes, as my friend stated, gives major confused feelings. An impromptu dance to Vogue only made me love her more.

Nothing phased these US Qweens as they affectionately ribbed off each other. You can tell there is a lot of love and respect on and off stage and their adopted Manchester family certainly felt it too. If the audience reaction was anything to go by when we were asked what show we'd like to see next year, we may be treated to a drag version of Death Becomes Her! and as I can vouch, drag dreams do come true, bring on next October!

Return to Grey Gardens, Manchester

I'm a bit late in writing this, but I was recently lucky enough to see the fabulous Jinkx Monsoon and Peaches Christ perform in Return to Grey Gardens in Manchester!

The show was a drag tribute to the original cult documentary film Grey Gardens  shot by the Maysles brothers in 1975. 

Featuring mother and daughter, Big Edie and Little Edie Beale, the film follows the two women as they coexist in the crumbling remains of their once grand East Hampton home Grey Gardens surrounded by dozens of cats and raccoons and the debris of decades of neglect and lack of money. It's fascinating to watch and there's something both touching and inspiring in the way Little Edie fashions new outfits out of a jumble of ragtag items topped with her remaining Tiffany brooch.

The film is full of classic one liners as both women argue and make up, sing and dance their way through each monotonous day. The stage show reenacted whole sections of beloved dialogue from the film perfectly and I loved how Jinkx, with the perfect upper crust Manhattan drawl, put her own spin on Little Edie as the beleaguered daughter Little Jinkxy, with dreams of stardom forced to stay with her manipulative Drag Mother Big Peachy.

Return to Grey Gardens was the perfect homage to the film, never poking fun at the two women who inspired it, always tongue in cheek but at times poignant too. Little Jinkxy belting out I Dreamed a Dream to her rooftop raccoon audience was stunning, funny and when you think about it, right on the money, as Little Edie was a performer at heart who never got to fulfill her calling.

Peaches Christ looked amazing and was great as the pushy matriarch who cooks a mean corn and takes a little too much delight in the handy man Jerry (played with panache by Team GB athlete Matt Lister!) and I loved how the show made good use of local talent to fill the roles of birthday party guests, cats and the Beale's famous cousin Jackie O! All the performances were brilliant and it looked like everyone was having the best fun ever. Special mention goes to Manchester creative Bren O Callaghan who not only produced the show but starred in it as the camera toting David Maysles.

I'd been excited to see the show for months and in the run up I drew Jinkx as Little Jinkxy, which I'm pleased to say she loved and she also re-posted on her Instagram.

I'd have loved to have made the after show party STAUNCH which happened at Islington Mill but it wasn't to be, fortunately I was able to live vicariously through this backstage video filmed at the Mill before the girls went on stage and Peaches has some interesting things to say about the show and why the film appeals to the drag/gay scene so much.

Top marks to everyone involved, we certainly had loads of fun and loved dressing up to be in the audience, I'll never listen to 'Stay' by Rihanna in the same way again, it was so so good.

Peaches is not the only fruit!

An angry mob surrounded us, all I could hear was shouting and yelling. Horns sounded from the passing traffic, encouraging bitter rage as placards were lifted to the skies. Sirens could be heard approaching and the flashing lights of riot vans added to the mass confusion...

...Welcome to the UK premiere of Midnight Mass!

While all this chaos was happening I was gleefully peeking through the blinds of the changing room joined by several of my fellow monsters. We were holed up inside the cinema at the Cornerhouse as the audience began to queue outside our window. The punters looked both amused and bemused as they were surrounded by a crowd of rampant librarians holding a (mock) protest against their vile representation in Peaches Christ's comdey gore film All About Evil.

I was in good company, Camp Dragula, Cleavage the Killer Clown and a lovelorn sea creature called Two Tonne Tess Tickle. There was also a very enthusiastic zombie a beautiful Hammer Horror vampiress the mendez goat and me The Bride! We were all there to perform with the queen of trash horror Peaches Christ. After a couple of rehearsals I'm pretty proud to say as B movie monsters we totally rocked the dance to Gore Gore Girls.

As the audience was finally admitted, it was time for some last minute touches to the already immaculate Peaches. The changing room got more packed as we were joined by two sets of murderous 'twins'; The brilliant dancers from Ultra Violet Violence who accompanied both live performances with their sexy usherette moves and the actual actresses who played them in the film Jade and Nikita Ramsey!

A hush finally decended upon the now seated crowd, helped of course by the annoyed shushes of the librarians who had managed to plant themselves about the theatre. Peaches Christ strutted her eight foot stuff down the aisle flanked by her villainous usherettes and we began our monster parade to the stage.

We are Gore Gore girls!
image source: AND Festival

What followed was two hours of gore, camp and carnage as live action mixed with cinema to create a 4D movie experience not to be forgotten. I loved every second of playing Elsa Manchester the Mancunian Bride of Frankenstein and dancing in front of a half horrified crowd most of who had taken the effort to dress up too!

After our fabulous performance it was the audience's turn to show off what they had as a Gore Couture fashion show took place on stage and Peaches effortlessly moved things along with a commanding charm. The librarians unable to hold back any longer bum rushed the stage and what follwed will be forever be ingrained in my brain. There was lap dancing (after taking my seat I was lucky enough to be treated to three lap dances!), singing lots of blood and as an reaction to that even some vomit, what more could you ask for?

The film All About Evil is splendidly gruesome and I sat through a lot of it peering between my fingers and squirming uncomfortabley, but also giggling and cheering especially when there was a really impressive fountain of blood. What happened to me? It must be the Peaches Effect, making it ok to enjoy a good splatter now and then.

Photo by Adrain Ade Lee

I am thrilled to have been involved and to have met some of the nicest fellow freaks (no offence) you could ever find! Thank you to Bren O Callaghan for being the most lovely producer and also stepping in as a last minute monster! And thank you to Peaches Christ for showing us the blood splattered way.

The horror oh the Horror!

This blog is random if nothing else, and true to form today I am letting everyone know I am taking part in the AND (Abandon Normal Devices) Festival next month. My role will be in conjunction with the Cornerhouse, that benchmark of high brow art and one of Manchester's most revered art establishments. So it should come as no suprise that I will be go-go dancing behind a US drag queen while dressed as the Bride of Frankenstein for a floor show to end all floor shows!

Take cover everyone, Peaches Christ is coming to town!

For any of you unfamiliar with Miss Christ she is the brains (ewww brains) behind Midnight Mass, a cinema experience that lets the audience get that step closer to what they see on the screen, namely trash horror and B movies. Think Elvira, Showgirls and Teen Witch, but don't be lulled into a false sense of security, the driving force here is gore and low brow entertainment.

Photo by Candee Photography

This will be my first burlesque style performance outside of my double act The Chantilly Belles, and I'm really thrilled to add it to my performance resume which includes collaborations with The Lowry, Urbis and the Whitworth Art Gallery.

The event will run for two nights 2nd and 3rd Oct in the Cornerhouse's larger cinema and will be the UK premiere of the Midnight Mass event. But that's not all, Peaches has produced her own flick, All About Evil, inspired by her love of high camp horror which will be aired for the first time in the UK and will be accompanied by the floorshow.

So what should you expect? Well if you are after a quiet night and a cosy film don't come along. The night will be hosted by Peaches Christ and audience members are encouraged to dress up; monsters, drag queens and vintage glamour with a twisted edge. (Junk in Manchester's Northern Quarter will be running Gore Couture workshops this weekend to help you create your own costumes and designs.)

There will be music and singing and dancing (cue me and 7 other B movie monsters doing our thing) and of course the film itself, what more could you want! I am excited to be taking part in this big arty event but also just a little bit, a little little bit freaked out! I guess that's the first step to fitting right in...

Midnight Mass at the Cornerhouse
70 Oxford St
Manchester
Tickets £15/12.50 concs
2nd/3rd Oct 10.30pm