In Thailand I believe ‘phet thi sam’ translates to ‘third sex’ which has, in some ways, informed the westernised title ‘LadyBoy’. That being said, The LadyBoys of Bangkok is not an educational show at all, it is something like being magically whisked into a Thai nightclub, filled with joy, humour and incredibly beautiful costumes worn by a gorgeous cast.
Even though some politician may announce there are only two genders, historical records show that as far back as 1296 the existence of a third gender has been recorded in some parts of the world. In Thailand I believe ‘phet thi sam’ translates to ‘third sex’ which has, in some ways, informed the westernised title ‘LadyBoy’. That being said, The LadyBoys of Bangkok is not an educational show at all, it is something like being magically whisked into a Thai nightclub, filled with joy, humour and incredibly beautiful costumes worn by a gorgeous cast.
The show begins with the famous song, ‘I Am What I Am’ playing with the anthem-like lyric, “I am what I am, And what I am needs no excuses, I deal my own deck, Sometimes the ace, sometimes the deuces,” culminating in the triumphant, “Life’s not worth a damn, ‘Til you can shout out, I am what I am!”
That’s as ‘political’ as this extravaganza gets, it says everything required in the most, stupendous way. Enjoy yourself!
The opening number, ‘One Night In Bangkok’ introduces beautiful dancers in equally beautiful traditional costumes dancing and parading around the stage. It’s all glitz and glamour with a completely authentic style. From this moment on the audience are treated to some bawdy songs, pitched to get a laugh, which they did. The comedy is very true to typical cabaret material, not quite obscene but definitely risqué. The audience of predominantly women lapped it up, laughing at the gags and shrieking in delight.
When the Diva of the show presented some Shirley Bassey and Tina Turner numbers it led to some enjoyable audience participation. The different numbers feature different members of the cast, and again, beautiful costumes that shine like glitterballs and compliment the very attractive dancers who constantly flirt with a sly wink and broad smile.
One highlight was the feisty male dancers pulling women out of the audience and providing them with a rather coy but thoroughly entertaining lap dance. It’s not a family show but it never gets offensively ribald. If you’re a fan of ‘Priscilla Queen Of The Desert’ you’ll enjoy this for what it is, a fabulously costumed show with talented cast and not a single ping-pong ball in sight. Five bejewelled stars!
The LadyBoys of Bangkok is at The Octagon at Gluttony until 23 March. Get tickets here.
