The Ladyboys of Bangkok have been visiting NI for a few years now so I thought it best to finally get and see what all the fuss was about. What looks like from the outside a humble circus tent inside is an amazing space, with a grand stage, 2 bars, Thai curry kitchen, souvenir area and all table seated floor space. It is really well heated as well and I have to say had me pleasantly surprised. We made our way in, got some drinks (they even take credit cards) and sat at our table and I must say I really didn’t know what to expect. If you are going i’d say this, expect spectacle, expect laughs, expect some really pretty looking ladyboys and expect to be thoroughly entertained.
The curtains part, and there the full glamour, glitz and glory those fabulous Lady Boys of Bangkok – 16 of the world’s most fabulous showgirls – who just happen to be men! – launch into their colourful, sexy performance with their brilliantly stylised humour than is cheeky but never crude.
The gist of the show is that the splendid lady boys dance and mime their way through near 2 hours of tunes. They have some great comedy pieces, some bits that are a tad risqué too (but nothing over the top)more cheeky than rude. They also go through over 200 costumes and what must be a bazillion rhinestones, although I didn’t have time to count them. Apart from the lady boys there are some male dancers, an MC, a little person and a Drag Queen called ‘Ole’. She is different from the Lady Boys because she is obviously man and they use this to some really hilarious comedy effect. Her Tina Turner is not to be missed and at one point the little person swings across the stage on a wrecking ball to the strains of Miley Cyrus’s hit Wrecking Ball. We’re not talking highbrow comedy here but it is genuinely very funny.
The use of lighting and music is great too, with a good deal of the tunes being contemporary by the likes of Nicki Minaj and Katy Perry, others are slightly older like Amy Winehouse and Tina Turner and some are fantastic comedy tunes that I never knew existed and really have to be heard to be believed. By the end there’s dancing on the bar, the podiums and just about everywhere before an all white finale with the most lavish showgirls style costumes we’ve seen all night. All in all the Lady Boys provide a great nights entertainment in a great setting and are definitely something a bit different, a show not to be missed!
I tried to take some photos but the low lighting was killing my camera!
