For the past four weeks, one of London’s campest and most celebrated cabaret sanctuaries Halfway to Heaven has been searching for a prospective ‘Drag Idol’ diva to represent them and hopefully go all the way to snatch this year’s title.
Fresh from their summer retreat in Gran Canaria, queens of the high hair, CK, hosted and worked the attentive audience of the packed-out Centre Stage bar into a stupor for the heat final.
Six acts had brushed up on their routines and were primed to give their all, eager to impress the audience and judges: Bette Rinse, Mary Mac, Boyz mag’s Dave Cross and myself. The order of the day, it seemed, was diverse variety!
First up was the Bear Did Lady who gave one of his best performances to date, opening with his signature ‘Big Bear’ number followed by an original song, written in just a day, which referred to the tragic killing in Woolwich last week. Poignant and very creative.
The gothic madness of Meth was next, using her spot to celebrate all things Halloween (and why not – it is May!). She could easily be the secret love child of Marilyn Manson…
Divina De Campo proved how much of an all-rounder and cabaret innovator she is by squeezing opera, comedy, parodies and powerful vocals into her ten minutes. Remember this performer’s name, she’s gonna be around a lot!
As the vodka flowed – mostly down Bette Rinse’s throat – the excitement built for the final three acts. An air of regality reigned as Martha D’Arthur began her bid for the top spot. Sing-alongs aplenty rang out around the bar with Madam Martha. The audience loved it.
In keeping with the theme of diversity we veered from the traditional drag of Martha to the innocent (yeah right!) seductiveness of Miss Cairo, paying homage to the late, great icon of glamour, Marilyn Monroe. Her thrusting, topless backing dancers, who made all the judges ‘perk’ up, added a lovely extra spurt of spunky testosterone to Cairo’s set.
The final contender was Glaswegian power-pouter Vanity von Glow who parodied popular songs, injecting humour and satire, whilst fingering her organ impressively. She even dedicated a song to me. Over the moon, I was. Ecstatic. Vanity was an instant hit with the audience.
As judges do, we reconvened to commence the screaming and hair-pulling we delicately call the ‘deliberation process’. Not an easy one either. But eventually, after going back and forth several times, such was the standard of talent, we got there, and Martha D’Arthur was announced as the winner and the act that will sing out loud for Halfway at the semi-finals.
A thrilling afternoon, which felt more like a showcase of cabaret than an amateur competition. There’s a refreshing and noticeable constant that runs throughout Drag Idol, and that’s the supportive camaraderie between all the artists, regardless of the fact they’re competing against each other.
This makes Drag Idol not just the scene’s biggest cabaret talent search, but also one of the scene’s biggest families. A family that grows closer, larger and more diverse with each year that passes.
Halfway to Heaven is at 7 Duncannon Street, Charing Cross, WC2N 4JF
