CelebMix’s Jack reviews Blame It On Bianca Del Rio, live from Newcastle City Hall.
It’s been more than five years since Bianca Del Rio was crowned the winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race in a fierce battle with Courtney Act and Adore Delano, and what a five years it’s been!
The star released a feature-length film Hurricane Bianca movie back in 2016 and followed it up with the equally hilarious Hurricane Bianca 2: From Russia with Hate earlier this year. And that’s not all: Bianca’s made a couple of cameos in Drag Race, starred in two comedy specials on Logo, and taken her show on the road with The Rolodex of Hate, the Not Today Satan Tour, and now, for 2018, a brand new show called Blame It On Bianca Del Rio.
It’s a sell-out show in Newcastle, and a step up from the smaller venues she was playing just a couple of years ago following her Drag Race success.
Opening the show was the incredible Sherry Vine, who I interviewed back in 2012 following the release of her Lady Gaga parody, Shit My Pants. The drag act has come on a long way from her faeces-inspired jokes, and now parodies classics such as Hallelujah (How I Blew Ya) and I Love Rock and Roll (I Love C*ck and Ball). The 20-minute set was filled with comedy, audience interaction and three well-written songs, all of which brought laughter to the Newcastle audience.
On to the main act. Following a surreal ‘voice of the gods’ introduction from RuPaul herself, reminding her ‘childs’ not to use their mobile phones throughout the show, Bianca arrived on stage to backing music, which she quickly cut off, assuring the audience she wasn’t going to break into song.
Making several references to her Drag Race alumna, Bianca quickly tore into All Stars 3, and Seasons 7, 8, 9 and 10 of the show, with references to Season 9 winner Sasha Velour and recent All Stars 3 winner Trixie Mattel. She’s not afraid to let her feelings be known, making regular gibes at recent RPDR winner Aquaria.
Throughout the set, Bianca shares her opinions on the LGBT community, Donald Trump, Brexit, and had no trouble tearing into her lesbian fan base, later inviting a couple on stage to record a video for their wedding.
The night was filled with jokes and just-over-the-mark comments that, had they been uttered by any other comedian, would’ve caused offense. But it’s Bianca’s to-the-point delivery and underlining sense of love makes them feel okay to laugh at.
It’s often hard to determine whether Bianca’s jokes are meant in jest or whether they’re really what she thinks; either way, she makes for a truly entertaining show and has the audience in stitches from the second she walks onto the stage right through to the closing Q&A session.
The show is everything you’d expect from a night with Bianca. There’s no bullshit, no filler and no holds barred. ‘Blame It On’ is not for the faint hearted, but you’d be a fool to miss it.
Blame It On Bianca Del Rio runs across Europe and into South Africa this August and September. Tickets are extremely limited, but seats are still available on the official Bianca Del Rio website.