Bianca Del Rio
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Tue 17 Sep, Cardiff Motorpoint Arena
Ruthless put-downs and downright unsavoury jokes: nobody is safe from the foulest mouth on the planet as drag’s biggest star, Bianca Del Rio brings her It’s Jester Joke tour to Cardiff. Once consigned to clubs and pubs, drag is now massive news, with Bianca selling out some huge venues on this tour, including a history making show at Wembley Arena. But first, she has a Welsh crowd to take care of.
Before we get into that though, it’s time for Wendy Ho to take the Motorpoint Stage. Wendy Ho is a female drag artist whose combination of banter and parody songs gives us an indication of the type of night we are in for. Decked head to toe in bright pink, the highlight of the set was her cover of Rhianna’s Hopless Place now renamed Public Place. I think you get the picture.
And so the stage is set for the winner of Season 6 of Ru-Paul’s Drag Race and the alter ego of Roy Haylock to meet her audience and she doesn’t disappoint. Absolutely nothing is off the table with Bianca, even phoning an audience member’s mother who is suffering from cancer shortly after making cancer jokes. She is ruthless, but it’s done with an air of inclusiveness, which is what sets Del Rio apart. The straight couple with a transgender child in the front row get torn apart for their choice of attire for the evening with Bianca asking “couldn’t the transgender kid have dressed you?”. One audience interaction ensured I would never look at a soap dispenser in the same way again. When the show ends with a question-and-answer session, some poor soul just asks if Bianca could insult them. Cue a torrent of abuse, the likes of which would shock even the hardiest of people. But it’s not just about insults and crude jokes. Bianca Del Rio is an all-round entertainer and very talented comedian, who gets to know her audience and makes them part of the show; it’s all inclusive.
There are people leaving the Motorpoint Arena this evening still laughing at what they have just witnessed. Having played Cardiff numerous times over the last few years, it’s likely that we won’t see Bianca for a while now, but the hardest working queen there is has conquered Cardiff once more.
words Chris Andrews
Bianca Del Rio is currently on tour with It’s Jester Joke. Info: www.thebiancadelrio.com