Drag queen show was sizzling, sultry and a little bit sassy

The Queen of Bermuda Sybil Barrington burst on stage, top to toe in pink, with a message to the audience: “Tell all the haters that I only bring in the real deal.”

Sybil, whose real name is Mark Anderson, was referring to the star of his show — “the real deal Melba Moore”. The singer ­performed alongside a host of sparkling drag queens for Sybil’s Dynamic International Female Impersonators held last week at City Hall Theatre.

There are many in Bermuda who disagree with the drag queen element to his shows but Sybil is never one to shy away from controversy.

Ms Moore was a real hit with the crowd giving several powerful performances including renditions of Journey’s End and This is It. Ms Moore has several career highlights which help to justify Sybil’s comments about her. In the musical Hair, she became the first African-American actress to replace a white actress in a lead role on Broadway. She earned a Tony Award for her portrayal as Lutiebelle in Purlie and appeared alongside the iconic Eartha Kitt as Marsinah in the musical Timbuktu! She was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best New Artist among many other accolades. While Ms Moore recently took a few years out from her performing career, she proved she still has what it takes to get an audience up on its feet dancing and calling out for encores.

There was also great talent among the local and international drag queens, not least Nick Spagnola , aka, Nikki Chin. He looked every bit the part during his impersonation of Lady Gaga dressed in bask, holey tights and carnival mask . His tall, skinny physique and striking feminine features made him one of the most convincing performers of the evening while his dance moves were second to none. Another to wow the crowds was Bermuda’s own Lady Tatiana, aka Takai Tota, with his well honed dance routines and stunning good looks.

All the drag acts mimed to their songs which worked for the majority of performances. One disappointment was the sound quality during part of the show. When local drag queen known as Chrissy Dior got up to take on Beyonce in a sky blue tutu, the music he was miming to was so quiet you could hear him mouthing the words as he walked through the audience. 

The crowd really enjoyed the performance by Russian Yury Ruzhyev — especially during his totally over-the-top impersonation of Liza Minnelli. Dressed in a top and flares completely covered in sparkly, red sequins he jumped, pounced and practically fell across the stage much to the excitement of the crowd. Sofonda Cox’s Lion King outfit complete with feathers and leopard skin was was perhaps the most dazzling of all. 

After all these year, Sybil still manages to get a huge reaction from the crowd with his off the cuff humour and mischievous sassy style. He is every bit the hostess with the mostest and I’m sure his Female Impersonator shows will be a success for years to come.