The drag artists in “Kings Doing Queen” deserve their crowns

“Kings Doing Queen,” hosted by drag artist Charli Darwin, is a Queen-themed drag king show at the Grindstone Theatre. Eight different drag artists took the stage and put on a cheeky — often literally — and memorable show.

Unsurprisingly, Queen songs made up the entire setlist, but with such a vast discography it was no easy task to choose what songs to perform. And all the performers chose well. Not only were the songs recognizable, they also got the audience clapping or stomping to the beat.

While most of the performers portrayed some version of Freddie Mercury throughout the many years and styles of his career, Dad Bod Rod’s performance as Brian May can’t be forgotten. Darwin told the crowd he was a last minute addition, and I think it was a perfect one. While Rod didn’t have an entire set to himself, he joined the other performers onstage during the guitar riffs. 

The performers also didn’t shy away from the humour of the songs either. Tanner Steele performed to “Bicycle Race,” and fully embraced the bicycle theme with sparkly handle-bars. Queen’s one and only May joined in on the performance, only to die. The song then switched over to “Another One Bites The Dust,” which got the audience laughing. 

Shay Nanigans also got playful with his song choice and performance. He chose the wonderful “Fat Bottom Girls” to perform to and was not shy about shaking his bottom. The stamina he needed to keep his hips moving throughout the entire song was impressive on its own. 

The rest of the performances ranged from cheeky to sexy, but all were thoroughly entertaining. Stretcher Hymen’s was a standout. Hymen did an incredible job with the choreography and never missed a beat. Even when they suffered a minor but bloody injury to their shin, they kept the show going. 

Credit also has to go to Novio Materyal, University of Alberta drama student by day and drag king by night. It was his first performance as a drag king and they absolutely killed it. His play on Queen’s iconic “I Want To Break Free” was equal parts funny and lively. It was comical to watch him fight with his Dyson vacuum, but his performance really picked up steam as he kicked off his shoes and tore off his wig.

The artists also did an amazing job with the costumes. Many of them either recreated iconic outfits from music videos or stage performances. Others played off of the lyrics of the song they were performing to, such as Moses Motors’ multi-layered car-themed costume for “I’m In Love With My Car.”

Darwin was the perfect host for the event, introducing performers and keeping the show moving. They were also able to joke around with the crowd between sets and even the performers backstage. But when Darwin themself performed, it was nothing short of iconic. 

Darwin’s duet with Motors as David Bowie was something to remember. Darwin was the perfect Mercury to Motors’ Bowie — the two embodied both legendary artists onstage. 

It couldn’t have been a Queen-themed drag show without performing “Bohemian Rhapsody.” All the performers went onstage to perform the final song together. The group was playful with the dramatic lyrics and the sillier parts of the song. There couldn’t have been a better way to end the show.

While there’s currently no scheduled dates for another “Kings Doing Queen” show, I’ve got my fingers-crossed this won’t be the last and only one.