End of the Rainbow review – Jinkx Monsoon’s Judy Garland could be the talk of the town
Soho Theatre Walthamstow, London
The Drag Race star brings nuance to the vocals and has a hoot with a frisky script but this bio-drama is too limited and ultimately cramps her style
Drag Race fans already know that the series’ “queen of all queens” Jinkx Monsoon does a mean Judy Garland impression from her lurid account of a threesome with Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra. This revival of Peter Quilter’s 2005 play puts Monsoon’s Garland in a love triangle instead, caught between steadfast, gay pianist Anthony (Adam Filipe) and opportunistic, soon-to-be fifth husband, Mickey (Jacob Dudman).
It plays out in 1960s London as the decade, and Garland’s life, draw to an end. Quilter divides the drama between private and public, moving from the performer’s hotel suite to her residency at Talk of the Town, derailed by her drinking and a drug addiction that dated back to her teenage role in The Wizard of Oz.
المصدر: The Guardian — Stage