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1–8 Aug 2018 THE LIST FESTIVAL 41
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S C O T T C H A L M E R S
Drag star Gingzilla is back with not one, but two shows at this year’s Fringe. As Kirstyn Smith discovers, the skyscraping bearded wonder is all about letting her freak fl ag fl y
F rom behind, Gingzilla looks like your run-of-the-mill drag queen, albeit on the taller side at 7ft. But twirl her around and a glorious ginger beard immediately unmasks her aesthetic. After starting her drag career with self-confessed clown-ish makeup, her look has become much more polished, which is why clinching the deal with a beard strikes such a chord with both audiences and passers-by.
‘When I started becoming more feminine and pretty, people had to stop and go: “Okay, how do I feel about what I’m seeing now? You are equally beautiful as you are masculine,”’ she explains. ‘I very much wanted to be a man, but with both sides – really teetering on that feminine/masculine edge.’
In Gingzilla: Glamonster vs the World, she explores the idea of embodying all sides of this gender-fucking coin, through heroes of 50s and 60s B-movies as well as self-actualisation and becoming one’s true self through overthrowing subjection. ‘The show is an origin story of Gingzilla,’ she says. ‘It’s set around a character who’s oppressed by the world and the patriarchy and she’s trying to conform. In the second half of the show, she throws it all off and goes: “I’m not the pretty thing you want me to be. I’m a monster, whether you like it or not.”’
Rejoice in your weirdness and let your freak flag fly: that’s the integral message here. Gingzilla is obsessed with interweaving the glamorous and the monstrous – why lip sync a perfect rendition of ‘It’s Raining Men’ when you could put on a queer anthem and then spend
it slowly devouring a whole chicken? It’s the absurdity that fascinates Gingzilla. ‘My inspiration comes from turning the concept of being aesthetically pleasing on its head and being as gross and as fun as I possibly can,’ says Gingzilla. ‘So the illusion is always dismantled.’
While Glamonster vs the World is the perfect showcase for Gingzilla’s vocal aerobics – as a former corporate singer, she really does have a great voice – she’s also host of a twice-weekly midnight party, Late Night Lip Service, which has a distinctly different vibe. ‘It’s very much your wild drag show. Each night we put on the best queer acts in the Fringe. They’re two completely different shows: Glamonster is a theatrical cabaret piece, my late-night show is party good times.’ What unites both of Gingzilla’s shows is authenticity. Ingrained in all her work is a sense of truth, taking on – in a way – modern day social media ideals. ‘You get to see the polished, beautiful facade,’ she says, ‘but you don’t get to see behind the scenes: people being tucked and pulled and squished. I want viewers to see both sides. I want you to see the glamorous and gorgeous side, but I can also be grotesque and in-your-face. You don’t know what you’re going to get in what moment.’
Gingzilla: Glamonster vs the World, Assembly George Square Theatre, 3–26 Aug (not 8, 14, 21), 8pm, £13 (£11). Previews 1 & 2 Aug, £10; Late Night Lip Service, Gilded Balloon Rose Theatre, 4 & 5, 10 & 11, 17 & 18, 24 & 25 Aug, midnight, £12.50. Preview 3 Aug, £10.