Waltham Forest (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Drag queen Jonny Woo brings his acclaimed ‘Un-Royal Variety’ show to Soho Theatre, blending comedy, cabaret, and satire in a dazzling performance.
There will be a variety of art, music, and performances during the three-night event in Waltham Forest, which runs from Thursday, November 13 to Saturday, November 15. With an emphasis on underground content, such as cabaret and alternative humor, the talent is incredibly diverse and is sure to “captivate and impress.”
Award-winning comedian Jayde Adams and feminist musician, producer, director, and performance artist Peaches, who has been in the underground scene for over 20 years, will be the main acts. The event’s main attraction will be singer and rapper Betty Boo.
Jonny Woo, the show’s creator and host, promises a variety of artists’ performances throughout the show, which highlights East London’s underground culture. Drag kings and queens performing side by side is a surefire highlight of the LGBT underground scene.
Un-Royal Variety Creator Jonny Woo said:
“It’s back. Bigger, bolder, brasher and more unruly than ever. I’ve joined forces with Soho Theatre to bring my Un-Royal Variety to their stunning new 1000-seat venue in Walthamstow, with a sensational international line-up.
World class acts who I’ve worked with or seen and admired over the years rub shoulders with rising stars from my stable of queer artists to make a show which, whilst bursting with star-studded headliners, remains rooted in the spirit of London’s radical queer community.
Now in its fourth incarnation, Jonny Woo’s Un-Royal Variety is a theatrical happening like nothing else. A loving pastiche of the great variety shows of the past with a live band, dancers and singers, then, injected with a huge dose of wild, alternative, sexy and provocative queer cabaret, music and jaw-dropping variety. I’m hoping that Jonny Woo’s Un-Royal Variety 2025 will be the most talked about show of the year.”
There are four bars (Main Foyer, Ziggurat, Cross Hall, and Circle) and a restaurant at the brand-new Soho Theatre Walthamstow, which has 960 seats. After undergoing a £30 million renovation, the structure has been used as a performing venue for a century. Over the following ten years, Waltham Forest anticipates that the facility will boost the local economy by £52 million.
What is the history and origin of the Un-Royal Variety show?
The concept of the Royal Variety Performance was initially described as the Royal Command Performance, and hails from 1912, when it was presented at the Palace Theatre in London, and originated by King George V and Queen Mary as a fundraiser for the Variety Artistes’ Benevolent Fund (now the Royal Variety Charity).
The Royal Variety represents an annual televised gala of varying types of variety performers , comedians, singers, magicians, dancers—performed for members of the Royal Family.
The occasion remains a formal, family-friendly, tribute to “mainstream” entertainment with a polished and often classic structure.
Jonny Woo’s Un-Royal Variety is an irreverent, boundary pushing pastiche of this occasion which draws from cabaret, drag, comedy, music, and underground performance art.