Review: LUCY DARLING: SIMPLY DARLING at the Aronoff Center
Comedian and magician Lucy Darling made a stop in Cincinnati as part of her 2026 worldwide tour.
On Sunday, March 22nd, 2026, the greatly multitalented variety performer Carisa Hendrix presented a nearly sold-out show of Lucy Darling: Simply Darling in Cincinnati, OH at the Aronoff Center as their famous persona. A comedian and magician based on the traits of wisecracking, upper-class characters and actors of the Golden Age of Hollywood, Lucy has been gaining fans all over the world for nearly a decade. Three days later on Wednesday, March 25th, the Ohio State House of Representatives moved to pass a bill that, among many other horrific restrictions that particularly target the transgender community, would effectively criminalize drag performances in most spaces, defining them as “obscene” and “harmful to juveniles”. Using vague wording and dehumanization, not to mention a blatant disregard for freedom of speech, the bill sets a dangerous precedent that would have major repercussions for a wide array of harmless situations if made into law.
Hendrix, a nonbinary performer and self-proclaimed drag queen themself, grew up being inspired by shows like RuPaul’s Drag Race to invent characters like Lucy Darling, a hyperfeminized socialite who uses her beauty, charisma, and sharp wit to entertain and engage with her attentive audience. Lucy is only one persona among a sea of countless artists who have explored their own identities and personalities in this way, and the biological sex of any given performer does not matter in any way in the creation of their alter ego.
Despite how society should have evolved enough by now for this to not be a controversial topic or statement, let it be known that expression of gender, no matter who it comes from or how it is presented, needs to be protected for everyone’s sake. To quote an interview Hendrix did in July 2024 with the Kingston Theatre Alliance, “With characters, everything is a performance. Gender is a performance. In a way, personality is a performance. It’s all kind of a show.”
And what a show it was this past weekend, as Lucy Darling used both definitions of the word to “charm” the crowd, welcoming her admirers across all demographics (as well as the strangely high number of people in the front row who have worked in finance). The show was packed with merriment from start to end, beginning with TJ the jazz pianist introducing Lucy with a song.
Even the technical logistics had humor around them. For example, the team behind the tour has been incorporating live captions into the shows as an accessibility tool, leading to a lighthearted joke about how they seem to be heavily used by those with ADHD, which got a huge laugh considering a large portion of her fanbase falls on the neurodivergent spectrum. This performance was not only for the diehard devotees, but newcomers also had plenty to appreciate throughout.
Much of the show relied on Lucy Darling’s crowdworking skills, and those in the front row were paid close attention to by all. As a cherry shaped microphone was passed around, the audience got to know an elderly gay couple, Chris the minister, and, perhaps most of all, Brad the accountant and his supportive wife who, due to an error in the captions, had been together for a whopping 229 years (instead of 29 years).
This sector really highlighted Hendrix’s expert improvisation skills. Not only do they have the ability to continue a conversation with someone without knowing anything about them beforehand and making it funny while keeping in character, but they’re also able to incorporate details from those interactions throughout a show, calling back to them when opportunities arise. For most people, even professional comics, this would be a daunting task, especially given the strong emphasis and reputation Lucy’s live shows have regarding crowdwork.
This continued on later in the show as well during one of her popular segments “Ask Lucy” in which the audience had the chance to submit questions before the show, and a handful were selected for Lucy to answer in her own fashion and with no preparation. As she responded in her usual playful manner to most of them, always checking with each of the inquisitors for further context, the final question gave her a chance to get sweet and supportive with a mother who was doing her best to support her disabled child, providing a kind and affirming answer.
Unlike the approach from most stand-up comics, the comedy was only one aspect of the show, as Lucy’s other specialty is magic. A cocktail enthusiast, she brought out a bar cart and did a demonstration with Brad, moving a cherry under parts of the shaker for him to locate. Further into the show, she pulled out the cart again, this time making a pair of whisky bottles disappear and trade places to the crowd’s wonder and delight. Towards the end, she was multiplying them until there were maybe half a dozen on the table, turning a tube of air into alcohol as if she were Jesus turning water into wine.
A winning night of a splendid, one-of-a-kind performance, Cincinnati was lucky to have Lucy Darling in town to share her talent and skills. She continues on her world tour with many sold-out performances lined up, and hopefully she’ll be returning to the (Drag) Queen City not too far in the future. For more information about her upcoming dates and to learn more about her, visit carisahendrix.com or click on the link below.
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