Review: QUEERSTORY THE MUSICAL, VAULT Festival

"To be in a room such as this, that's the way we keep moving forward"

As both a history nerd and a theatre fan, I was immediately drawn to the concept of the "cabaret lecture" promised by Mercury Presents and Maxim Melton in Queerstory the Musical. Walking into the Flair Ground, I was surprised by how simple the set for the show was. There was a keyboard, a microphone stand, and a chair with a soldier's uniform draped over it. The beginning was quiet as well - Maxim walked onto the stage dressed in a neat waistcoat suit (definitely giving off "distinguished professor" vibes), took a seat at the keyboard, and began playing. A curiously soft start to a musical, but I was intrigued. Then, Mercury took the stage, singing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow".

And then the show really began! Mercury started to change the lyrics of the iconic The Wizard of Oz song, immediately riffing on the old code of queer people being "friends with Dorothy" by stating, "Dorothy, your friends are all queer". "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" was transformed into an alphabetical list of iconic LGGBTQQIAAPPK people who had come before, including Audre Lorde, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Oscar Wilde.

Both Mercury and Maxim are incredibly musically talented, with Mercury having a gorgeous vocal range and Maxim skillfully switching musical styles on the keyboard with ease while also contributing with their own lovely vocals. But along with their musical talent, the duo also does a great job of teaching the audience about queer history with songs about queers writing love letters to each other over the centuries, Polari slang in the 1960s, and the relationship between the queer community and the military.

My favourite song in the show was one about one of the most infamous secret languages queers have created over the years - the hanky code. Mercury did a brilliant job of explaining what each handkerchief colour means and what its placement met, being cut off before saying anything inappropriate by Maxim hilarious bursting in with the chorus to the "Ding Dong Song" by Günther and the Sunshine Girls - "Oh, you touched my tra la la, mmm, my ding ding dong".

As common for shows at the large Flair Ground venue, there were some issues with the sound, as the piano would at times overpower Mercury's singing, making it difficult to understand what was being said. But the messages of the song were not lost, as the choruses tended to be repeated many times, going on for longer than needed. I would have preferred to hear shorter songs than the few songs we were able to listen to within an hour.

Ultimately, Queerstory the Musical is a fantastic show that is both hilarious and informative. Mercury and Maxim do a wonderful job of combining humour and music while also remembering those who lived before us, fighting for queer rights and standing up for who they love. I am proud to be a member of the "Rhinestone Revolution" and look forward to attending more lectures with Professor Maxim and Mercury in the future!

Queerstory the Musical ran at the VAULT Festival on 14 March at The Flair Ground at The Vaults.

Photo Credit: VAULT Festival