• Home
• Latest Reviews
  • Art
  • Circus
  • Dance
  • Features
  • Festivals
  • Film
  • Music
  • Musicals
  • Opera
  • Theatre
• Archive
  • Art
    • 2012
    • 2011
    • 2010
    • 09
    • 08
  • Circus
    • 2012
    • 2011
    • 2010
    • 09
    • 08
  • Dance
    • 2012
    • 2011
    • 2010
    • 09
    • 08
  • Features
    • 2012
    • 2011
    • 2010
    • 08
  • Festivals
    • 2012
    • 2011
    • 2010
    • 09
    • 08
  • Film
    • 2012
    • 2011
    • 2010
    • 09
    • 08
  • Music
    • 2012
    • 2011
    • 2010
    • 09
    • 08
  • Musicals
    • 2012
    • 2011
    • 2010
    • 09
    • 08
  • Opera
    • 2012
    • 2011
    • 2010
    • 09
    • 08
  • Theatre
    • 2012
    • 2011
    • 2010
    • 09
    • 08
• Reviewers
• Press
• Previews
• Creative Projects
• Links

Music Review

The Supreme Fabulettes are a very good and saleable package. Were I an agent I would offer them for the best paid corporate events, the very best cruise liners, the most upmarket holiday camps (if such a thing exists) and the smaller Las Vegas casinos, and if I should, in this review of their performance at the Leicester Squire Theatre last week, add a note of criticism to the shower of unabashed praise I would advise them to ignore it entirely, lest it should unbalance the present formula which has brought and will bring, success to the trio. 
 
So who, what, are the Supreme Fabulettes?
Well, we have three chaps in drag – but what drag! what costumes! what style! be they entirely enwrapped in faux polar bear fur or revealed in black swimsuits, via floatie pink dresses to Spanish red bum-clinging gowns; slinky silver sequined evening wear, to Tiller girl Christmas shorties, as they sing in harmony girl group songs from the last forty years or so.

The choreography is spot on, deriving from the era when singers punctuated every other word with mimetic or rhythmic gestures and what is more they are executed with perfect precision. The ‘girls’ move beautifully and where appropriate, elegantly; their Port be bras (and I use the balletic term intentionally) are correct, graceful, and subtle.

 A subtlety that I fear does not extend to the singing – which is double fortissimo bash through each song and the entire show. There is nothing here in the way of interpretation to please the jazz fan or rock enthusiast – their philosophy is - get it out and get it over to the punters- and the punters seem to like it. Surprisingly, there is little innuendo perhaps because none of the trio in spite of being well versed in the banter of the drag queen, possesses the Danny La Rue mastery that could make a page from the proverbial telephone book sound like a quotation from the Karma Sutra.

Other than their noms de guerre  as Miss Vanilla Lush, Miss Vicki Vivacious, or Miss Maddison Lee, we have no programme hint of their true names or identities; they exist only once they have wriggled into their gorgeous gowns, affixed the long lashes and donned the wigs, which identify them as the blonde, the brunette and the redhead. Though physically dissimilar, as performers they are very alike, their singing voices are hardly distinguishable one from another and all are equal in decided talent, skill and presentation.

The Supreme Fabulettes - the name on the package passes the trade description act – so in spite of some small carping I recommend they keep on as they are – giving pleasure to a lot of people.