Throughout the history of stage performance, dressing up into a new character or persona has been central to creative art.
Indeed, the very concept of any play is that all involved in the process, be that on stage or indeed the audience, agree to a mutual suspension of disbelief; of course, it’s not real, but it’s more fun to pretend that it kinda is. And thus lies the central premise of entertainment.
Taking this concept down one certain path over many years has been the drag artist. Weekender caught up with Cayman’s own Delicious to talk about her upcoming comedy performance at Living Room on Monday, 17 September.
“I have been doing these shows in the UK for 13 years. I first thought of doing it in Cayman after Ivan, but wasn’t sure if the islands were ready for it. Everyone is a bit wary as they want to protect their businesses, but we did it here at Living Room and had a fantastic crowd.
“Everyone enjoyed it; we do two sets, first coming out classy in an evening gown then the other half is more upbeat music and a costume change,” she explains.
The intent is not to “degrade anyone”, says the performer. It is simply a comedy act.
“It’s like any comedy show you go to. We get dressed up, perform and entertain. Everyone has their likes and dislikes in everything they do and this is no different. We are not targeting anyone and we certainly don’t want to give the impression that this is a ‘gay thing’ because it certainly is not.
“Other countries you go to have comedy acts, drag shows and I think it would be fantastic to introduce it here,” Delicious tells us.
Given the popularity of Tyler Perry’s Madea show, audiences worldwide clearly already understand the ropes. It’s time, perhaps, Cayman did too. Indeed, says Delicious, prior audiences were generally comprised of couples, showing that when it comes to having fun there truly are no boundaries.
Audience interaction
It is a mark of a mature society that it can laugh at itself and during the show there’s one whole lot of audience interaction, too.
“I hope it can become more regular and even put the message out that if anyone wants a conversation here live we are more than willing to do that. I bring people up to dance or go to the audience and interact. It’s not as rehearsed; I go with whatever feels good at the night, cracking jokes and stopping songs to have fun. It is a cabaret show and we are hoping to introduce a whole new thing to the Cayman Islands,” she says of the show, open to those of 18 years old and over only.
Delicious will be backed by Bona Fide on the night, adding another excellent angle to a show which is rooted in well-established traditions.
So if you fancy daring to be different or simply having a good laugh, have a taste of the Delicious show. Life wasn’t meant to be grey and dull and some boundaries are there purely for the fun of breaking them.
The Delicious Show costs $10 and begins at 8pm on Monday, 17 September at The Living Room at the Strand. Following the performance, which features Bona Fide, there will also be a DJ to top off the night.
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