The Supreme Fabulettes in Love, Rhythm and Tears at Madame JoJo’s

There were 230 people jammed into Madame JoJo’s in Soho to watch the Supreme Fabulettes perform their first ever full-length show. A trio of doo-wop, bouffant-bedecked glittery glam-girls in drag, Vicky Vivacious, Mary Mack, and Vanilla Lush sang and danced for an hour and a half covering all the bases from The Supremes to Adele. 230 felt like 300 in the close, tightly packed space, and just about everyone was dancing, clapping, or at least swaying.

Despite some minor technical gaffes and an interval that ran more than ten minutes over, the show, more musical review than musical comedy, was a high-energy romp that skirted the edge of camp nicely and, if sequins and Motown are your thing, you’re sure to enjoy these hard-working performers.

Madame JoJo’s sits in the heart of Soho, surrounded by edgy men’s pants shops, high-end boutique sushi houses and pulsing LGBT-themed nightclubs. Amongst the glam and bright neon it would be easy to walk past this unassuming cabaret. Inside, the shadows and maroon drapes transport you to another time of speak-easies, burlesque queens and big-band hits. The crowd was diverse, ranging from late-teens party-types to seventy-something, though there was a definite bias in favour of well-appointed gay men.

Love, Rhythm and Tears is a bit of fun. Not the sort of thing you’re going to leave and chew on over a few drinks while you work out the symbolism, but then just a few doors down there’s Jersey Boys for that. Although there’s little depth to the production and what scripted dialogue there is seems a bit stiff, the girls are talented and at their best when they engage with us in the improvised moment. For whatever it’s worth, we’ve had Stop in the Name of Love in our heads since we walked out of the theatre.

William Glenn

Love, Rhythm and Tears is at Madame JoJo’s until . For further information or to book visit the Supreme Fabulettes’ website here.