Words: Caroline Whitham
Welcome back to Edinburgh! Are you looking forward to returning to the Fringe?
It’s been six years since The Kinsey Sicks have descended upon Edinburgh—and a rather uneventful six years at that, no?! Of course we are looking forward to bringing our signature Dragapella back to the Fringe! The audiences are some of the most adventurous and generous in the world and we can’t wait to bring them this timely and powerful show through over-the-top drag and song.
Your latest show, Drag Queen Storytime Gone WILD!, hits on a hot-button topic in current discourse. Can you tell us a bit of what to expect?
Aside from a bunch of outrageous new parodies that ruin your childhood favorites from Disney to nursery rhymes—all in glorious Dragapella 4-part harmony—expect to have your expectations of a drag show flipped on their wig! Our outrageous assembly is jam-packed with an hour quips, camp, and cultural counter-punches, but we make no guarantees you won’t want more naughty parodies or biting satire from us after we’ve taken our bow movements.
Doing drag feels more dangerous now than it has done in the past twenty years. Are you still able to find the joy in it? Is rebellion its own reward?
Anything that pushes gender norms has always had an inherent element of danger in it. This latest anti- drag (and, lez be honest, anti-trans) hysteria from right-wingers is nothing new and we call it what it is: miserable mediocre buggers who want to distract us from their ineptitude for solving society’s real problems (poverty, climate change, xenophobia, etc.) and kill the joy of others. So, it’s our obligation to find and amplify the joy that drag brings to the world. When simply getting into drag is an act of rebellion, you can’t help but feel empowered to do good with your craft.
Do you have any plans in the city during your stay? Anything you’re looking forward to experiencing again?
Our favorite romps in Edinburgh include a wee hike at Holyrood and taking a rest at Arthur’s Seat (Trampolina swears that she can see Norway from there), sunning in The Meadows in the two hours of the month that there will be sun, sampling a dram or 20, and cruising various bathrooms throughout Edinburgh. You know, just traditional tourist fare!
Do you have any other shows you’re looking forward to seeing when you’re here?
With the onslaught of TikTok-famous acts at Fringe, we could just stay in our flat and just watch our phones, but what fun is that?! We simply cannot wait to see our pal Reuben Kaye’s unbelievably bold show, The Butch is Back, with a terrific voice and unapologetic drag that we can’t help but admire – plus Winnie is always hot over a fellow Jewish performer! The immensely talented and gorgeous playwright-actor-singer Apphia Campbell reprises her phenomenal nod to Nina Simone in Black is the Color of My Voice. Fellow American drag queen Monét X Change is a powerhouse not to be missed and of course we can’t ignore Aida H. Dee’s Drag Queen Story Hour show (which is actually meant for kids!).
Any advice for first time visitors?
Our advice for first timers, whether you are a spectator or a spectacle, would be to rest when you can, drink plenty of water, always have a jacket, and take it all in. Be discriminant in what shows you are able to see, but don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and catch a show you wouldn’t normally see—be it from another country, in a different language, within a new genre, or starring people completely different from you. That is the incredible spirit of the Fringe!
The Kinsey Sicks: Drag Queen Storytime Gone Wild!
Gilded Balloon at the Museum – Auditorium
7.20pm
2-27 Aug
