Trevor Ashley has hit the Lyric Theatre for their 3rd show in London. For those unfamiliar with Trevor Ashley (like I was at the start of the show) she is a drag Queen who not only will knock your socks off with her banter and story telling but also with her belt. Fresh from her experience filming Queen of the Universe Trevor Ashley not only talks about her experience with this reality show but sings some of the songs she performed on the show as well as paying tribute to some other Divas and allowing the audience to get to know her a bit better.

When you hear Trevor Ashley’s voice is comes as no surprise to learn of their background in musical theatre, having played roles such as Edna Turnblad in Hairspray, Thenardier in Les Misérables and creating the role of Miss Understanding in Priscilla Queen of the Desert. There is no doubt that Trevor Ashley is an accomplished vocalist and it was a particular joy to hear them sing ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It,’ the song that they performed over 600 times in Priscilla Queen of the Desert.

Trevor Ashley, much to my joy, leaned heavily into their musical theatre roots with a clever version of Memory as part of the Liza set as well as opening Act 2 with a Rocky Horror number and it was easy to see just why they are a successful musical theatre performer as well as drag star.

Accompanying him was an 8 piece band which was fitting when much of the night was about Trevor Ashley’s vocal ability. The sound balance was spot on, impressive for a one night show.

Trevor Ashley also turned their hand to a tribute for both Liza Minelli and Shirley Bassey, both of which they are known for and it was easy to see just why they are known for these impersonations. Despite the high standard of the impersonations it was actually when Trevor Ashely sung as themselves or we heard a bit about their childhood, their journey to Queen of the Universe as well as originating a role in Priscilla Queen of the Desert that I found the show most enjoyable. Numbers such as ‘Better The Devil You Know’ were given a completely new spin by Trevor and moving tributes to family members such as ‘The Rose,’ gave some more touching moments in the show. The moments where Trevor Ashely stopped to talk to the audience were also enjoyable however the insights into their life and the storytelling element seemed to go down better than the jokes and I would have loved to have had a chance to hear more of that side of things from them.

Trevor Ashley’s costumes were fitting for the show, with a costume change between the acts a 3 wig changes in Act 2 alone this wasn’t the type of show that focuses on the Drag Queens appearance as it lets their talent do the talking, although having said that the costumes were feathered, fabulous and dripping in sequins, there just wasn’t the constant outfit changes that sometimes people come to expect at drag show.

For those that are drag fans but yet to discover Trevor Ashley then check out their future shows, for those that are existing Trevor Ashley fans then kick yourself for missing this performance!!

To find out more about Trevor Ashley you can visit their website here.

If you like this review you might also like my review of Queenz The Show with Balls, My Son’s A Queer and Alyssa, Memoirs of a Queen.