An Evening with...The Lady Boys of Bangkok

June 16, 2017

The last thing you expect to stumble across at the end of Deansgate is the Sabai Pavilion. This giant, turreted marquee, with its distinctive bright pink design, is the travelling home of the UK’s number one touring cabaret show: The Lady Boys of Bangkok. After a brief absence, the Lady Boys are making a triumphant return to Manchester with their lavish new production Who Runs the World!

Wednesday may not be Manchester’s first choice night for an evening of cabaret and decadence but as we approach The Sabai Pavilion there is a tangible sense of anticipation in the air. Bright lights, music and the tantalising smell of freshly cooked Thai food promise that this will not be an average midweek evening. Even entering the venue is an experience in itself, the red carpet and impeccably dressed doormen makes us feel like A-list celebrities being welcomed into an exclusive club.

Once inside it is impossible not to be excited. The word “tardis” is heard on more than one occasion – it really is amazing how much bigger the pavilion seems on the inside. The attention to detail is superb. We are gripped by an almost child-like delight as we examine the plethora of exotic decorations and features. Where to go first? To the tuk-tuk for a photo opportunity? Or to the food stand for a taste of that incredibly tempting cuisine? Most of our fellow audience members have opted for one of the two well-stocked bars.

Soon we are enticed down another red carpet to the performance area, where the Pavilion continues to amaze. It is at the same time cavernous and intimate. The atmosphere is perfect, somewhere between 1920s Chicago speakeasy and the Kit Kat Club of Cabaret. Steps lead form the enormous stage down to the cabaret-style circular tables clustered around, suggesting that the performers are not afraid to get in among their audience.

The Lady Boys promise “a cabaret like no other cabaret performed by gorgeous showgirls like no other showgirls.” As if it were needed, the show opens with a reminder that all the performers (well, all but one) are male Thai nationals. The intrigue and suspense is finally broken by a fervent performance of I’m A Woman. It’s a predictable, but glorious opener; the risqué costumes and cheeky dance moves placing it a long way from Peggy lee’s original 1963 hit.

Next, we are treated to the first installment of the infamous Trevor. Also known as “the little guy,” Trevor is the only non-Thai performer in the show. Curiously enough, he is from Oldham. His role appears to be the provision of comic interludes (presumably to allow for costume and scene changes). Quite how this came about remains a mystery, but Trevor is clearly enjoying what must be something of homecoming gig as he launches with gusto into a stupendously rude ditty about a holiday in Majorca.

The next big musical number finds the showgirls in a prison, a situation which turns increasingly violent as we are treated to a murder ballad, Lady Boy style. A rapid set change introduces a scantily-clad Little Mix tribute. Shout Out to My Ex is followed by All That Jazz, proving that the Lady Boys are as comfortable turning out the old classics as they are the contemporary hits. The opening bars of Culture Club’s Karma Chameleon prompt two gentlemen to race back from the bar in jubilation (a bar which, it should be added, remains open and enjoys brisk trade throughout the performance).

Audience involvement is generally limited to the occasional sultry brush of a feather boa as performers move between tables. It is all in good jest - participation is not mandatory yet the audience enthusiastically answers calls to clap, dance or sing along. The whole room is on its feet for a thumping Grease medley.

The refreshing lack of pretentiousness is perhaps the Lady Boys’ greatest triumph. Who Rules the World! does not pretend to be anything other than what it is – a joyous (and very naughty) non-stop ride through music and dance hits, past and present. The costumes are dazzling, the scene changes slick. The magnificently cheesy final number sums up the show perfectly.

It is abundantly clear that, above all, The Lady Boys of Bangkok want their audience to have as much fun as humanly possibly from the moment they set foot inside the magical world of the Sabai Pavilion to the moment they tumble back out into the comparatively grey and ordinary Mancunian night.

What more could you ask for than that?

The Lady Boys of Bangkok are in Manchester until Saturday 24th June. Tickets and more information can be found here.

Who Rules the World! continues to tour across the UK until November. Dates are available here.