High heels and high drama set to take the stage in Taranaki season of Drop Dead Gorgeous

Whodunnit? Who knows? But with the gorgeous divas (from left) Miss Givings, Miss Manage and Miss Demeanour on stage, it's going to be just fabulous finding out. Photo / Supplied

The drama will be as high as the heels when the fabulous Les Femmes drag queens come to town next month.

The talented trio, who previously wowed Taranaki audiences with their sold-out drag cabaret show as part of the Taranaki Arts Festival last year, are back in the region, but this time it's serious. Well, as serious as a murder mystery can be when there are three drag queens and a Miss Mature Tween Queen pageant involved.

Stratford Press editor Ilona Hanne caught up with the gorgeous divas of the Auckland-based drag cabaret act Les Femmes to find out more about their latest show, Drop Dead Gorgeous! A Drag Murder Miss-tery, which is coming to 4th Wall Theatre in early May.

"We are pretty safe because we have all the parts of the show around the pageant which are rehearsed and scripted."

Jeremy Hinman (Miss Manage) says while the queens are "safe", that's not the case for the guest actors joining them for the Taranaki season when it comes to knowing the script.

"Each night we are joined by a guest actor, a different one each night, and they are the detective who has to solve the murder."

"They get the first page of the script basically, so they know their first entrance and first few lines," adds Olly Humphries (Miss Givings).

Those few lines translate to just about two minutes of the show, laughs Jared Morello (Miss Demeanour), who says much of the rest of the show is then determined by which case file the audience vote on the detective opening, and how the detective investigates the case.

Olly says the show combines the very best of drag - fantastic costumes, lots of humour and outrageous characters with plenty of great music.

"The show features original songs which we worked on with Andy Manning, and that is our point of difference to many drag acts, we don't lip synch, the three of us are all trained in musical theatre so we sing the songs ourselves which is a bit different."

Whether audiences have been to drag shows in the past or not, this show provides what Olly terms "an easier touchpoint" for people to experience the unique theatrical art that is drag.

"There's a bit of magic in drag I think, and the show has had great responses from audiences so far."

The pageant theme gives plenty of scope for some fantastic costumes and great comedy says Jeremy, whose favourite movie "of all time" is Miss Congeniality.

With so many fabulous costumes, how long does it take to get ready for the show? About three hours, he says.

"Actually four. Three is doable, four is comfy."

Some parts of that getting ready can't be rushed, he says, from waiting for wig and eyebrow glue to dry to not putting on the killer heels too early on.

"You don't want to be in a corset or heels longer than needed."

Each of the queens has her own very distinct personality, says Jared, and their relationship with each other is like sisters.

"You know, it's a case of you can't be mean to my sister, but I can."

His alter-ego, Miss Demeanour, could be described as "a camp Pamela Anderson, Pamela but with a bit of class", he says.

Of Miss Givings, Olly says she is undoubtedly "a floozy". "She's an absolute bimbo and sexy as hell."

As for Miss Manage, she's the sassiest of the trio, says Jeremy.

"In life as well as on stage actually."

"She's the mum of the group, but the mum from Mean Girls," adds Jared.

"Sort of Kris Jenner meets Joan Rivers, but two Joan Rivers stacked on top of each other!"

The details:
What: Drop Dead Gorgeous! A Drag Murder Miss-tery, presented by Les Femmes
Where: 4th Wall Theatre, New Plymouth
When: May 5, 6 and 7 at 7pm with a second show on May 7, 9pm.
Tickets: nz.patronbase.com/_4thWallTheatre/Productions/LESF/Performances

WIN: The gorgeous queens have given the Stratford Press a double pass to the Thursday, May 5 show to give away to one lucky reader. To be in to win, simply email editor@stratfordpress.co.nz with Less Femmes in the subject line. Include your name and contact phone number in the email and answer the question: which queen could be described as Pamela Anderson but classy? Competition closes at noon, Monday, May 2 and the winner will be contacted later that day. Follow us on Facebook for a second chance to enter the competition.