A special brand of drag-cabaret

A drag-cabaret night co-produced and hosted by local comic actor and musician Harry Humberstone and Bristol drag royalty, Roxytocin, has been playing to sold out crowds at The Wardrobe Theatre since 2016.

Set in a northern working men’s club, The Shade Pullers & Lash Stackers Social Club plays out as “a narrative of comic farce and familial tension”, featuring a diverse series of cabaret acts woven together by 81 year-old Paul Marsden (played by Humberstone), and his son, local drag queen Roxytocin.

With its alchemical mix of comedy, drag, dance, burlesque and music, Lash Stackers has become the theatre’s flagship LGBTQ+ night, and due to demand, will be returning for its first two night run on February 11-12.

These Valentine’s shows will feature the thematic threads of love, monogamy, polyamory and loneliness, and explore the many and varied ways in which they manifest within people’s lives. Audiences will go expecting to laugh, gasp, and occasionally cry, too.

As performers and producers working in the arts, the long hiatus over the lockdowns was uncertain and financially turbulent for Lash Stackers, but it also provided an opportunity to reassess the show; the parts that were enjoyable; those that were challenging, and ultimately what resonated most for the performers and audience members alike. As Humberstone recalls, this period of reflection brought the success of the night into relief:

“We realised that the night we’ve created has become something really special. Our audience is a good range of the LGBTQ+ community as you’d expect, but also a huge age range (our oldest audience member to date was 83, two years older than my character, Paul), right down to students and professionals in between, regular wardrobe theatre goers, comedy audiences, and a real mixture of folks you don’t often see at queer events.

We’re really proud of this, and it’s what the night’s all about: acceptance of the other, and everyone getting along despite our differences, much like village or family life. So instead of giving up, we doubled down and worked even harder.”

Harry Humberstone as Paul Marsden and Roxytocin at The Shade Pullers and Lash Stackers Social Club – photo: Vonalina Cake

For Roxytocin too, the return to live performance is all about spreading joy and acceptance, whatever may be happening beyond the four walls of the theatre. “The world is facing a lot of big challenges right now, and for me, laughter has always been cathartic,” she says. “It lets you see the world through different eyes, ridicule the worst of things and celebrate the good.”

Situating Lash Stackers on The Wardrobe stage allows audiences to watch drag in an intimate, sit-down theatre context, which changes the dynamic and serves to welcomes people in. But it’s also a place of personal significance to Humberstone.

“The Wardrobe Theatre has been immensely important in, not only the development of my career,” he notes, “but also in the development of my craft. My brand of silly first sprouted there, and they’ve kept it well watered ever since. It feels like home.”

Perhaps the night has been able to build its loyal following because of its shifts in tone, blurring the line between comedy and pathos. You never quite know where it’s going to take you next.

Photo: Vonalina Cake

Humberstone speculates that his decision to move back up north during 2020 to look after his elderly father, who has dementia, will have shaped his elderly Lash Stackers character, Paul. “It has deepened my love for him, and given me more empathy for how overlooked and under-represented the elderly are in culture generally.

“These days the show is part love-letter to my dad, not least because I wouldn’t be doing comedy if it wasn’t for his very silly influence.”

So what can audiences expect as the show evolves? Roxytocin now shares the writing, producing and performing duties for Lash Stackers, and credits Humberstone’s friendship and creative support for helping her to grow as an artist. He agrees: “There’s a lot of love in that room; that’s why we can be so awful to each other”.

The pair are intent on developing local talent, and discovering and elevating performers that you might not find at a traditional drag night – “character comics, bands, poets, dancers; people exploring gender and aren’t afraid of a little silliness,” explains Roxytocin. “Drag’s not all about flawless looks and death drops.”

Looking ahead, there will be a workshop to help aspiring performers to work on their act, and a space in the Lash Stackers summer show for one of the participants to make their debut.

As to their Valentine’s shows, Roxytocin and Humberstone are in agreement: it’s a safe space where all kinds of people can get along, despite their differences.

The show was born out of an admiration and yearning for mixed social spaces like the 1970s social clubs; mingling neighbours, families and generations,” says Roxytocin.

“I was always proud of how much age variation there was in our audience; we had regualars from their 20s to their 60s, all sharing a laugh and getting involved. I’m hoping we continue to see a range of faces come through our doors.”

The Shade Pullers & Lash Stackers Social Club (suitable for age 16+) is at The Wardrobe Theatre, Old Market Assembly, 25 West St, Old Market, Bristol BS2 0DF on February 11-12 at 7.30pm. Tickets are available through the Tobacco Factory Theatres box office.

Main photo: Vonalina Cake

Read more: A queer homage to working men’s clubs

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