DragSpeare: Drag Kings do Shakespeare

DragSpeare: Drag Kings do Shakespeare creators Anne Pensalfini and Jo Loth have assembled a crew of Drag Kings (female identifying performance artists who dress in masculine drag) to perform a clever cabaret for the 2024 MELT Festival.

The narrative written by Pensalfini, follows the adventures of the ‘Stallion Squad’, a group of Drag Kings whose cabaret tour through Queensland has made them popular entertainers. Now, they are on a mission to prove they're more than just superficial sex symbols. Determined to gain credibility as serious performers, they decide to incorporate iconic Shakespearean roles into their next show, infusing the Bard’s scenes with pop music, humour, and dance.

The ingenious show features classic Shakespearean characters Romeo, Macbeth, Richard III, King Lear, and Hamlet. Pensalfini’s deep insight into the plays and the sociological context in which they were written is evident in the script. Her play sees the characters succinctly and comedically explaining their plots and delivering a little of their most iconic dialogue. Each main character also sings a modern song that perfectly sums up their story; two of the cleverest being Hamlet with Mad World by Tears for Fears and Richard III singing Creep by Radiohead. In doing so, Pensalfini manages to make every character’s story more accessible and fun for modern audiences.

DragSpeare is a balance of high-energy performances, sharp comedy, moving drama, and layers of queer, gender-fluid creativity. Each performer has taken on a hilariously naughty drag name. Jules Berry plays York Lit, Michelle Lamarca is Rocky V Liquor, Jo Loth plays Swingin’ Dick, Anne Pensalfini is Biron Bothways, and Lucinda Shaw is Pan Teasetickle. Pensalfini is an absolute stand-out, and her skill and charisma make it hard to watch anyone else when she’s on stage. However, every performer in the cast is fearless, talented and highly committed. All are entertaining singers, dancers, and actors.

Lucinda Shaw’s direction of the show is full of life and fun. Unfortunately, the show I saw experienced some sound issues, but costuming is great, lighting effective, and staging is dynamic. Technical challenge aside, the great script and talented and dedicated cast provide a night of cabaret that is thrilling, bold, and utterly captivating.

There’s a gorgeous poetic justice in the concept for DragSpeare: Drag Kings do Shakespeare. It’s women playing men, delivering excerpts from plays once only performed by men (some of whom were playing women). Shakespeare loved to include cross dressing characters in his stories, especially in the comedies, and he often included song and dance too. Gender swapping, comedy, meaningful prose, great songs and entertaining dancing… he would have loved this satirical homage to his work. 

Kitty Goodall

Photography by Joel Devereux