Auckland Pride reviews: Night of the Queer 2021 focuses on performers over plot

Aerial performers were the highlight of Night of the Queer 2021. Photo / Peter Jennings

One of the best things about this year's Auckland Pride is that the festival has blossomed into a full month-long event. It's still just as packed, but now there is more time to catch the many varied events on show.

For me, expanding the festival means finally getting to Night of the Queer. Co-directors James Luck and Rebekkah Schoonbeek have been staging this queer cabaret since 2015, but as their run goes longer than most Pride events, being surrounded by so many shorter seasons means it's always been put to one side.

Their 2021 show makes a strong case for why it shouldn't be second-guessed again. Combining drag, dance, burlesque, singing and aerial performances, this show shines a spotlight on some incredible local talent.

This year's storyline loosely revolves around a medieval gay bar, where a royal herald arrives searching for a missing prince. The bar's resident witch (Schooney) uses tarot cards to assist in the hunt, as the other performers and patrons are drawn into a sensual story about fate and expression.

It was a necessary feature to ground the production, but the storyline ultimately had little impact on what the performers did. It would have made for a more direct show to have skipped any pretence of plot and embraced being a showcase spectacular, as the enjoyment here comes solely from how much you appreciate the talent on display.

The cast of Night of the Queer for 2021. Photo / Peter Jennings

There is little to fault when looking at these performers; 16 took to the stage on opening night, and every single one brought something different to the show, all while moving as one cohesive creature that was an undiluted joy to witness.

The aerial work from Jay Clement, Rochelle Mangan and Ellyce Bisson was a breath-taking highlight, as they pulled off memorable stunts and mid-air performances. Bisson delivered a sensual bird bath-themed burlesque routine that silenced the room, while Melissa Duff was the first to deliver a gasp-inducing pole routine, a performance heightened by the pole's location in the middle of the tightly packed tables.

As a platform for superb queer talent, Night of the Queer succeeds. Yet their talent shone despite the show itself missing a degree of entertainment. The lack of focus given to the storyline meant there was little reason, as an audience member, to invest in the world within the show. The concept of a camp fairytale showed promise, but it was reduced to some pseudo-medieval references sprinkled with modern pop songs that evoked Shrek more than Vegas cabaret glamour.

Whether it needed a touch more theatricality or humour, a MC in place of the plot, or some through-line that gave the various players more of a role, it was just missing that spark to make it more than just a gussied-up talent show.

Night of the Queer works solely because of the power of its individual parts, each of the performers working their own brand of magic into this medieval world, but the show itself needed some extra sparkle to make it shine at the same level as its artists.

What: Night of the Queer
Where: TAPAC until February 13th