Sasha Velour’s The Big Reveal Live Show review: A triumph of performance and politics

It’s fair to say that the world of drag has become saturated. With Rupaul’s Drag Race churning out season after season internationally and a plethora of inspired young queers putting on their high heels and vying for a sacred spot in a local gay bar, it’s easy to get lost among the crowd.

However, some of the best and brightest have bucked the trend and remained in the spotlight.  The likes of Bianca Del Rio, Trixie Mattel and Jinx Monsoon have shown that talent can keep you in the game. Having loved Sasha Velour on Season 9, I was excited to see how she had fared over the seven years since her win.

Velour’s show immediately stands out from the crowd. For the start of a drag show, a tradition typically associated with camp and glamour, the set is – well – a little everyday. The stage is a living room that could be in anyone’s home – armchair, telephone, lamp, television.

“Drag queens are in your living room and they are coming to shake up all things heteronormative”

However, known for her defiance and determination to shake up normalcy, the audience is treated to the first reveal of the night – and perhaps one of the most surprising I have ever seen in a drag show. As ‘Waiting For Tonight’ by J-Lo plays and a spotlight illuminates the rear, we wait with baited breath for Velour to appear.

But nobody comes. It’s then that the chair begins to dance. That’s right. Sasha Velour is a wearable chair that by the final chorus has become a high fashion garment – challenging, striking and with tongue in cheek. Drag queens are in your living room and they are coming to shake up all things heteronormative.

It is this blend of political statement, high glamour and camp humour that makes Velour such a compelling performer. Indeed, Velour seems keen to highlight the importance of plurality within the community. In one brilliant video skit, we see Velour in various personas debating with herselves as to what drag means to different communities – a historical artifact; shallow silliness; a revolutionary movement. Ultimately, her message is that drag can be whatever you want it to be – and this is its power.

“What elevates is her pairing with performance”

You can see Velour’s manifesto for diversity represented through her lip sync choices – everything from Britney and Christina to classic Hollywood movies and Dionne Warwick. What elevates is her pairing with performance. In one number, she is iridescent in a stunning disco ball head dress that throws luminescence across the audience. In another, she smashes glass across herself violently. In the second act, she becomes an angel, inspired by an ancient statue.

Velour does not just speak her manifesto, but she acts on it. Highlighting that Drag Race still fails to feature drag kings, she invites London’s very own Prince of Provovation, Chiyo to the stage for a radical dance performance. Velour’s generosity is not just show either – Chiyo is invited to share their story before performing a second number alongside Velour herself.

An interlude about Velour’s life is revealing: she is a born performer who loved to dress up from a young age, inspired by her rebellious grandmother (a notorious friend of many a drag queen long before drag was cool), and loving parents who couldn’t do enough to support her vision. She represents what a world would look like if every parent accepted their child for who they are – a joyful, passionate burst of energy who wants to change the world.

“Drag encapsulates the imperfections of our world and allows us to change them”

She doesn’t play it safe. Velour is comfortable asking the big questions. Is drag too commercialised now? Are acts using their platforms at a time when the community desperately needs activism? Are some demographics of drag being left behind by the mainstream?

But drag, Velour tells us, encapsulates the imperfections of our world and allows us to change them. For every critique, their is hope. For every performance, there is inspiration.

And after seeing Sasha Velour’s show, I can confirm that the true big reveal is that she is one of the world’s finest drag entertainers, performers and artists. And she, like drag itself, is not going anywhere…

Sasha Velour: The Big Reveal Live Show UK dates and guest performers

8 March, London – Chiyo
10 March, Brighton – Joe Black
12 March, Birmingham – Black Peppa
13 March, Manchester – Cheddar Gorgeous
14 March, Newcastle – Choriza May
15 March, Glasgow – Ginger Johnson
17 March, Cardiff – Victoria Scone

Tickets are available here.