Theatre
Review
Drummer Queens: Rhythm and Badassery
Many a "YES QUEEN" was shouted tonight!
Featuring eight extraordinarily talented women and blending the worlds of rich theatre experience and full-blown rock concert – Drummer Queens is a hard show to do justice with just words, but we’ll do our best.
The drums aren’t usually an instrument that takes centre stage. Usually you’ll find them in the background, providing the foundations for your showier band members (yes frontmen and guitarists, we’re talking about you) to perform over.
But tonight, the drums are front and centre.
Throw away your expectations though – there is a lot more to Drummer Queens than meets the eye.
The stage is set like a post-apocalyptic dystopian wasteland meets industrial, sci-fi battlefield – metal pipes frame the stage, while various drum kits and percussion instruments from around the world lay in wait for what’s to come.
A trio of women, their backs to the audience, bash out a building rhythm. Almost war-like, their warpaint is on and their drumsticks are strapped to them like weaponry.
As the band slowly begins to grow, so does the thunderous rhythm – an opening only fit for such a night.
Each of the eight band members play their characters perfectly, adding an extra element to the performance. There’s Zen’s warrior-like grace, Freedom’s incredible choreography, Rebel’s wicked sense of humour, Bey-B’s endless energy – and that’s only half of the personalities that make up this infectiously captivating queendom.
Drum kits on high up platforms, electric drum pads, a huge xylophone, cowbells, cajons, their bodies, the stage, and more make up the performers’ onstage arsenal – and with every new configuration of the stage comes a new genre or style. Each change intriguing and entertaining the audience more.
Throw in some moments of comedy, dancing, acrobatics, and one very impressive tap dancing break and everything you walked into the theatre thinking you were expecting has been thrown out entirely.
The best part is the Drummer Queens make it look so effortless, the huge grins never leaving their faces – but it’s clear that every minute of this show is a masterful display of absolute skill and badassery.
Throw in the incredible sound design and incredible lighting effects that only add to the onstage spectacle and believe us when we say, you won’t know where to look next.
With ongoing conversations throughout the entertainment industries, it is refreshing and revelatory to have a diverse group of women, not only front and centre but everywhere on stage, and being wholly celebrated for their incredibly skill and talent.
Not missing a single beat, all eight performers are perfectly synchronised, feeding off each other’s energy. Powerful yet graceful, individually commanding yet a perfectly unified team, every audience member will walk out of the theatre feeling a little more powerful and empowered themselves.
Drummer Queens will continue transforming Melbourne’s Comedy Theatre until Saturday 8 May before heading to Crown Theatre Perth from Wednesday 16 June. Tickets are on sale now via Ticketmaster.com.au.
