The B-Girlz are A+

1 Mar 2023 - Photos: 'panels' by publicist and Paul Bellini

The B-Girlz are back, but did they ever really leave? The outrageous Canadian drag troupe celebrated two decades of fierce comedy with a brand-new show called Jump! at Tallulah’s Cabaret on Feb 25. The crowd, me included, loved them. It’s hard to pick a favourite moment - the delightfully weird Horoscopes section, the moment when they referred to Madonna’s upcoming tour as a "celebration of life," or the fact that they performed the "Wham Rap" with delicious choreography. Hard Kora, Barbie-Q and Conchita never disappoint. And just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, the troupe inserted these little video commercials into their show, for an Italian butcher shop on St. Clair Avenue with Conchita playing a character called Nancy Pepperoncini. Hilarious.

The B-Girlz are old pros, and masters of branding. Using bold colours, they basically modelled their persona on the Teletubbies (or so claimed Barbie-Q), and in the process became the most visually iconic drag queens in this country. It’s nice that they continue to flourish in the wake of Drag Race culture, but they did it first and some would say they also did it best. They recently took Jump! to Sudbury, of all places, and hopefully they will continue to bring it to other stages across the country. Canada needs it.

As for the staff at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, they remain as vigilant as ever with the Covid screenings and the mask-wearing. They even sent me a message two days later informing me that I may have been exposed to Covid at that very performance. They make theatregoing such fun.