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Ladyboys of London


Ladyboys of London - Hippodrome Theatre, Leicester Square, December 29th 2014

A review by Malcolm Conlan

Earlier tonight, I was very kindly invited to watch a new cabaret show in London's West End, entitled Ladyboys of London. To be entirely honest, I was not sure what to expect. As much as I am a lover of musicals and live shows, I have never been to or even wanted to watch a cabaret or a show featuring ladyboys. I had no idea how it would work or what they would even do.

I arrived at the venue alone, I had this preconceived idea that this kind of show would be better if you were with a group of friends or after an office party. However, I was alone and it was a cold, depressing December evening outside, so was not sure what to expect.

I had been to the Hippodrome before however, back in the 80’s to watch a Filipino beauty pageant, organised by one of the original Miss Saigon cast members, Mr Jay Ibot who has since sadly passed away, he was a much respected leader and business man in the Filipino community and organiser of wonderful community events.

I have to be honest at this point and say that I do have a deep appreciation of Filipino culture and all things Filipino, however I did say to myself before the show started that I would give an honest review which would not be biased based on my love of the Philippines.

The Hippodrome itself, has an incredible history, Julie Andrews made her stage debut there at the age of 12, Harry Houdini has performed there, as well as appearances by Diana Ross & The Supremes, Judy Garland, Eartha Kitt, Shirley Bassey, and The Temptations, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Engelbert Humperdinck, Tom Jones, Lulu, Matt Monro, Cliff Richard, The Shadows, The Seekers, Stevie Wonder, Neil Sedaka and the list goes on, a dazzling array of talent.

So what did I think of tonight? The show started with a fire eating act, very talented and exciting, then we got to watch four incredible dancers, all good looking, macho guys you could say who were all very good performers, their dance moves were brilliant, perfectly choreographed and great to watch.
Geri Love

Then one of the two main performers of the night, Geri Love took the stage, in a very elaborate costume and started singing, to be honest, I have to say that I do believe that all Filipino’s have this God given talent of singing. However I have to be honest and say that I have seen a few examples recently online where not everyone can sing lol. However with a love of karaoke in the Philippines, I do stand by that previous statement that the vast majority of Pinoy’s can sing still.

OMG I was blown away by the singing as well as entertainment factor of the performance of Geri Love, she is naturally talented. We witnessed some real showstoppers, Vegas style, I have to be honest and say that I do believe this whole show has legs and will move fast. Not only did we sample the delights of Geri Love, we also got a double helping in the form of another talented Filipino performer, Dee Chanelle. As well as being very talented in singing and with some brilliant show stopping costumes’, she was also very funny.

Dee Chanelle

There was some audience participation as well, this was the first time that this act had been seen live, I do believe, it will get better and better and run for a long time, I do see the potential of the current running time of just under an hour, easily becoming 2 hours and also a touring show around the UK. There is a big gap in the market for this kind of show. A fun night out whether you are in a group or in my case alone... Had so much fun, off to bed now after a night to remember!!!

Credits for photos to Livelo and Ricky Dixon




Fil-EventandTravel

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