EDINBURGH 2016 - Review: PANTI BLISS HIGH HEELS IN LOW PLACES, Traverse, 9 August

10.30am on a Tuesday does seem a little early for a drag show, however Panti Bliss quickly had everybody feeling like it was Friday night. High Heels In Low Places is a story about how a drag queen from Co. Mayo become Ireland's National F**king Treasure.

Panti Bliss has a very interesting story. After inferring that the Iona Institute and several politicians who were campaigning against gay rights were homophobes, they sued her for defamation. Following this, she gave a speech that went viral and was commented on by the likes of Madonna, Stephen Fry and was even raised in parliament.

The performance is a bit of a mixed bag. While all the content is interesting and some of it is very funny, we go from anecdotes about her sex life to deep discussions on gender expectations. A chunk of the show is also spent surveying the room to get an idea of the demographic of the audience, which feels like it could be time better spent.

Some of the areas touched on in High Heels In Low Places are quite dark and this is probably where she excels most. Panti Bliss is also the queen of light relief and leaves us on a high note with a clip of her most embarrassing TV appearance and a lip sync of "I'm Telling You I'm Not Going".

Panti Bliss: High Heels In Low Places runs at the Traverse Theatre until 14 August.

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