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You may know her as the first ever drag queen to grace the stage of Australian Idol back in 2003. No? Me either. Than you may know her as the RuPaul Drag Race season 6 star who lost to the hilarious Bianca Del Rio. OR maybe you just know her as one of the drag queens dancing behind Jade Thirlwall in Little Mix’s Power music video. Either way this drag queen is Courtney Act and she’s ready to drag you to a world down under- meaning Australia of course.
Courtney had great success in Australia after her stint on Australian Idol and was what she claimed ‘a house hold name’. However it wasn’t until her appearance on everybody’s favourite shady drag show, RuPaul’s Drag Race, that Courtney really came out (metaphorically of course). After being in the top 3 of Drag Race Courtney became a Triple A girl with fellow RuPaul alumni Alaska Thunderfuck 3000 and Willam Belli. She featured in reality TV shows, YouTube channels, music videos, and countless drag shows across the world. Just wait until Celebrity Big Brother next year when she becomes the first ever drag queen to enter the house. But Courtney is now back to what Courtney does best. Being an all singing, all shady, and all fierce tucking performer, live on stage, and finally in the UK.
Friday 11th August 2017 and UnderBelly down on London’s famous South Bank was brimming with men, women, and those who are yet to make up their minds- and tourists of course. It was 8:30 and the alcohol was flowing as people sat on benches, chairs, and wooden bumper cars surrounding a scarlet entrance that hid a stage in a circus-esque welcome. A man was wondering around in half a tux, stockings, and heels, handing out flyers for a burlesque show performed every Friday night until UnderBelly’s end in September. He was charming, most definitely gay, and eager to discuss why we were here and how excited he was for such a famous drag queen to be performing tonight. And with the announcement to ‘have a good night’ he was off with the click of his stilettoes and the excited hum of the crowd in his wake.
Sitting impatiently in chairs reminiscent of school assembly days, shrouded in blue lights, you couldn’t not be excited to see Courtney. It was a sold out show, so the rush to get good seats was intense, especially considering the first two rows had been booked for the same assholes that use speedy boarding on flights. Nobody was quite sure what Courtney’s Act as going to include. The Girl from Oz could be anything, the only thing that was certain was that she would be singing live. But if the name of the show and the ruby slippers sitting in striped socks was anything to go by it was either going to be a ridiculously gay version of the Wizard of Oz, or a visual gag for whatever Courtney had in store for us.
Then the lights went down, the music began, and every gay man and woman seemed to give a cheer they had been holding all week as Miss Courtney Act skated (yes skated) out onto the stage in ruby red roller blades. She belted out Xanadu by everyone’s favourite Australian sweetheart Olivia Newton John, before welcoming the crowd to her show- a celebration and education of Australian music. Decked out in a sparkly checked, barely there, Dorothy dress, holding a wooden basket holing a stuffed kangaroo, and, after changing from ruby red skates to ruby red stilettoes, Courtney began the first act of her show. Singing songs from Australia with clever lyric changes to throw shade at herself and her fellow drag contestants. It was clear that Courtney’s comedy performance had drastically improved since the comedy challenge she attempted in season six.
The whole night was a classic drag show filled with laughs, shade, and an actual live performance. Even the intervals when she was changing outfits provided the audience with minutes of hilarity from pre-shot VT’s while the tuck was altered and outfits were exchanged. And then the final outfit was revealed. A gold and silver body suit that was melded to her skin, with gloriously sparkling scarlet red knee high kinky boots. With her outfit change came her final songs. A medley of Sia songs, an unexpected rock song, and her very own version of ‘touch myself’ by Divinyls. Of course, after a sneaky ad about her merchandise being sold outside (she learnt something from RuPaul) she did Kylie. Australia’s poster girl. With a final bow and a thank you to the crowd Courtney Act was gone and everyone’s lives seemed a bit brighter.
After the performance she gave it’s certain that many people in the audience that night wouldn’t mind being Courtney Act (Caught in the Act) if it meant coming out with the smile that graced the whole audiences faces that night. All T all shade.