Taking place in the gorgeously themed interior of Revolución de Cuba, queer performance troupe Niche Arteatrfact treated us to a jaw dropping performance of their new show: Secrets of the Molly House.
Taking us through a historical journey of queer art, queer passion and the pressure faced by our community to hide our true selves - Secrets of the Molly House made for a magical evening. The variety of performances on offer kept the energy at a peak throughout the show - from full ensemble numbers, comedy acts and absolutely beautiful vocal performances, you could never predict what was coming next or how it would make you feel.
It would be impossible to single out any one of the performers as they were each worthy of immense praise! From the frolicking fancies of Dani Magic, to a purr-fect rendition of Eartha Kitt provided by Priscilla Shona Krakow. We had amazing vocal talents from both Serena Eadon and Ro De La Monja, and what drag show isn’t complete with out a little musical lip-synching - Carrie Onlove bedazzled rolling pin and Mrs Lovette was a real showstopper! Rounding off this incredibly talented cast we had some of the most amazing hoop work I’ve ever seen from Milady Burlesque, some of the most beautiful and emotion invoking poetry I’ve ever heard from Georgina Wilding, and of course a massive well done to debut star Bobby Dazzler, whose drag lecture come strip tease had the audience in stitches all co-hosted by the incomparable David Beer!
Quite clearly a powerhouse in the Nottingham Queer Arts scene, Niche Artefact is providing everything we need to be seeing right now, and I can’t get enough of it
But it wasn’t just singing, performing and dancing on offer last night - keen to prove they are indeed a quadruple threat, we were treated to some gorgeous art pieces from some immensely talented local artists. Whether they be depicting Margaret Clap as Madonna, putting the internal struggle of realising your identity to canvas, or paying homage to a loved one, each piece was uniquely fantastic, and I envy anyone who purchased a piece at the end of the evening!
Quite clearly a powerhouse in the Nottingham Queer Arts scene, Niche Artefact is providing everything we need to be seeing right now, and I can’t get enough of it. I would highly recommend their shows to anyone who wants to experience the colourful rainbow spectrum that is LGBTQ+ performance- I hear they’re headlining for a small event called Notts Pride, if you’ve heard of it!
Niche Artefact has shown us that queer art can be all things- whether that’s sad, funny or really quite beautiful. I am incredibly excited to see what their next show entails!
Niche Artefact performed at Revolución de Cuba on Wednesday 30 April 2024. Look out for their next event, NOCTURNA: Journey Through Surrealism on 26 June at Revolución de Cuba Nottingham.
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