- Stephen Wight
monstagigz last saw Stephen Wight in the West End in The Ladykillers in 2011 but we love him more for his turn in BBC3’s Bluestone 42. Tonight he couldn’t be further from either performances and is the spitting image of Alexander McQueen. Don’t buy tickets for McQueen to see Wight unless you’re prepared to have him transform in front of your eyes, as the best actors do. It’s a mesmeric performance, brave to be there from the moment the audience enters the auditorium but ultimately the best reason to see this. Astonishing.
2. Tracy-Ann Oberman
I didn’t know a great deal about Isabella Blow before McQueen but Tracy-Ann Oberman inhabits her so completely she could be the lovechild of Ab Fab‘s Edina and Patsy. Were you looking for light to Wight’s McQueen shade? Ultimately, there’s shine in the performance but the backstory is ashen although who wouldn’t want to be wheeled on dressed immaculately from foot to toe whilst lying aboard a chaise longue with a lobster on your hat? Too much? Almost, but there’s room for a sliver more (just a touch!), dear. Fabulous, darling.
3. Fashion
Here at monstagigz we wouldn’t claim to know our puffball skirts from our Pepsi and Shirlie‘s but the Lady Gaga giant shoes, Bjork tune dress and magnificent golden feathered coat made us long to be fashionistas gawking at the sashaying along catwalks. A joy for the eyes.
4. Carly Bawden
Our favourite Glee character was Quinn Fabray. We would pay any money to see Quinn Glee in the West End in anything. And then McQueen premiered at St James Theatre and Carly Bawden took over the role from Quinn Glee (Dianna Agron) for the West End transfer. We didn’t see it before the transfer but Carly’s lovely: translucent, pale, endearing, a bit mad and then she spins out to something spectacular for the climax. We don’t know the backstory but Carly’s acting her socks off – yet still loveable, kooky and someone you’d root for in a gallery of, ahem, tough cookies.
5. Choreography
A hat tip to the supporting cast for bringing the elegant, refined and beautiful to proceedings. A play about depression, although essentially fired by inspiration during depression, is always going to be a hard sell. We’d love for a bit more Lady Gaga but the dancing is a cross-pollination of Sadler’s Wells and MTV: dirty beautiful.
