Review: LATRICE ROYALE Is Right At Home During 54 Below Debut

There is a disco ball hanging from the ceiling at 54 Below, but it was not in use last night because all the sparkles shining on the walls around the room were coming off of the gorgeous black beaded gown being worn by drag artist Latrice Royale.  An alumna of a famous drag-centered television show, Ms. Royale is one of the industry’s most cherished and valued drag performers, and her 54 Below debut has been long-awaited and well-earned.  With her eponymous show, she has taken her place among the many celebrities who have graced the stage of Broadway’s Living Room, and one hopes she will be back, and often.  Last night, she commanded the stage with style and held the audience in her hand with love.  It was a glittery, glitzy, and glamorous night… and a bawdy, broady, Broadway one, too, which is just as it should be.

During her evening of storytelling and song, Ms. Royale referred (often) to the TV show that made her famous (everyone knows it’s RuPaul’s Drag Race, right?), sharing thoughts and opinions rather than stories, and a lot of humor designed for shade, because (as everyone knows) reading is fundamental.  Some of her sly comments designed for shade actually have a lot of T to them (T = truth, for those not in the know), for she remarked on the fact that she came from an era of Drag Race when the ladies had a talent.  Not talent - A Talent.  It has been well observed and well documented that the vision of the programme has changed over the years to accommodate drag artists that lean into Look, rather than having A Talent.  Latrice Royale has A Talent, and, in the world of cabaret and concert, that Talent means all the difference.  Some of the Queens from the earlier days of Drag Race have gone on to stages big and small as comedy queens, chanteuses, actresses, movie actresses, and thespians of the legitimate stage - Ms. Royale herself has broken into the Ethel Merman racket with an appearance as Audrey II at the Ogunquit Playhouse, so, while she is beautiful, while she has The Look, while she has the sparkly shiny wardrobe, Latrice Royale is a Lady with A Talent, and that’s what makes her just right for the 54 Below family, for what she is presenting this week is a nightclub act, and, as nightclub acts go, 54 Below is the place to be.

For her nightclub act, Latrice Royale is presenting an eponymous show in which she runs the gamut from childhood tales, coming out stories, drag development breakdowns, relationship reminiscences, and life lessons learned.  It is a broad scope of storytelling, and Ms. Royale has crafted an enjoyable script, which she bedazzles in authenticity and hilarity - it is a solid framework upon which to hang her musical offerings, offerings which those not in the know might find surprising.  You see, Latrice Royale is a gifted singer with a beautiful instrument and some noticeable interpretive skills.  Starting off the evening with a parody spin on the Aretha Franklin classic R-E-S-P-E-C-T, Royale lays the audience in the aisles with sharp self-penned lyrics and a belt worthy of demanding musical theater roles.  Throughout the performance, La Latrice had the opportunity to demonstrate her versatility with musical theater by weaving a jaunty “I Am What I Am” into stories of her life, by applying a personal recollection to a version of “Send In The Clowns” (though why husband/Musical Director, Christopher Hamblin performed the scene setting monologue instead of Ms. Royale is a bit of a mystery), by pairing New York’s freezing cold climate with “Summertime” and by dueting with a special guest star on “Class.”   If Latrice Royale wants to do more acting in musical theater, she certainly is proving, here, that she has the chops for it.  The “Send in the Clowns” was lovely, wistful, and constrained, while a stunning “With Every Breath I Take” was awash with torchy interpretation, deep low notes, and even deeper emotional overtones.  Royale has perfected a singing technique that allows for her rumbling, resonance in her lower register, and breathy sensuality for the higher notes - it’s like some marvelous mad scientist melded Paul Robeson and Marilyn Monroe,  And for every number Latrice performs,  Mr. Hamblin has provided his leading lady with arrangements that allow her to honor the authors’ original intent, as well as her own aesthetic.  The more upbeat “I Am What I Am” fit the famous Royale optimism like a velvet glove; a similarly upbeat, jazzy vibe was applied to the “Summertime” treatment, while “Send in the Clowns” paid homage to the Sarah Vaughan performance mentioned in the tale that introduced the number - the Vaughan arrangement is very much present, though not at all copied, which is a nice nod to Hamblin’s skill.  Latrice is lucky to have this partner in life and art to lift her to the light - though this writer might offer that Mr. Hamblin could ease off a bit on the underscoring of Royale’s monologues.   During much of the show, the piano playing meant to accompany Latrice’s “talkie bits” actually drowned her out, making it difficult to hear her.  The instrumental music wasn’t under Royale’s voice, or even beside it - it was on top of and in front of her.  Perhaps a lighter touch on the keys, maybe a soft pedal down, possibly some less intrusive compositions would go a long way toward making the music actual underscoring, rather than a seeming solo with which Royale must compete.  That aside, it is a joy to see a loving couple at work, creating art together.  In fact, at last night’s performance, there were TWO loving couples on the stage, and that was a real treat.

For her 54 Below debut, Latrice Royale has invited some friends to play in her sandbox.  Diva LaMarr and Darnell White are beautiful and beloved members of the cabaret and concert community - artists with a voice all their own, each of them with a different style for when they are apart, and a third style when they are together.   A luscious and lively pair of entertainers as unique and as individual as an entertainer could hope to be, Darnell and Diva stormed the stage with ferocity and fire, Diva at the mic and Darnell at the keys, to perform Diva’s “Lola Medley” and it brought down the house.  With vocal prowess people only dream of, Diva eats the art of live performance and then showers the audience with it, while Darnell, the ultimate Rock of Gibraltar, acts as ballast, foundation, and electrical ground.  And although Christopher and Darnell shared the stage only briefly, as they traded places at the piano, the shared energy between the four friends and artists was palpable, and it was an energy of love, respect, friendship, and community.  What a joyous treat, indeed.

And joy is germane to the Latrice Royale brand.  In her script, Our Lady of Large and In Charge sheds sage advice like a second skin, and when she delivers her words of wisdom, there isn’t an insincere breath emitted from her lips.  She speaks her truth and it is a truth worth hearing and noting.  That is why it is appropriate that her final number of the night is serious one, a wistful one, a wish for a good life for all… oh, you want to know what the finale is?  Well, I’m afraid this is one of those times when this writer is withholding information for the benefit of future audiences.  Suffice it to say, Latrice Royale has one of the best renditions of the song, and this is a song that is sung a lot.  It is also a song Latrice Royale has lived.  It is worth seeing, worth hearing, and worth remembering.  So interested parties can catch Latrice Royale at 54 Below tonight (2/4/26) at 7 pm, with a livestream option for out-of-towners.  Latrice has landed - and she was worth the wait.

Latrice Royale plays February 4th at 7 pm.  Tickets can be accessed HERE.  THIS is the link for Live Streaming of the performance.

HERE is the Latrice Royale website.

Photos by Stephen Mosher