If you are going to stage a drama about a fictional Blackpool drag club, where better to host it than the foremost real venue of this kind in the town. Break A Leg Productions have secured Funny Girls for the performance of Ruby Slippers on 2 November, in a radical departure from the normal cabaret offer at the Dickson Road establishment.
Raz, owner of the Blackpool drag club The Ruby Slippers, is on top of the world. He has met Ryan, the man of his dreams. However all is not as it seems. Business is poor and a rival club has opened which threatens to not only steal Raz’s customers but also his star acts, drag queens Phoenix and Destiny.
Raz is hopelessly in love with his flat mate and barman, Ryan. The feeling is mutual. However, Ryan has a secret, known only by his mother Helen, who supports her son’s decision and encourages him to tell Raz the whole truth.
The two-act comedy drama comes from writers Emma Culshaw and David Paul and is directed by Mark Heller, and explores a subject rarely seen on the theatre stage. Emma and Paul comment:-
“When creating The Ruby Slippers our main aim was to write an honest story that showed the highs and lows of being in love when there are difficult modern day obstacles to cross. The play tackles transgender issues and we hope thoroughly audiences enjoy what we set out to achieve – creating a play full of compassion, humour and outrageous one-liners but with a strong underlying message.”
The cast is led by James Rogerson as Raz and Jamie Paul as Ryan. James appeared in the BBC sitcom Eyes Down alongside Paul O’Grady, and Jamie has featured in long running BBC medical drama Casualty.
Ruby Slippers had a sell-out pilot run earlier in the year in Liverpool, and following Arts Council funding being awarded is set to tour nationally in 2017. After Blackpool the immediate schedule is St Helens Theatre Royal on 3 November, and two performances at Liverpool’s Epstein Theatre on Bonfire Night.
So don’t be a drag, throw on your high heels, slap on your lipstick and get ready to strut your stuff down at The Ruby Slippers bar, where the power of love is about to be tested and the truth revealed. Doors open at 8pm. Tickets cost £14 and can be purchased from the venue or online at funnygirlsonline.co.uk.
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