The Superstar Boudoir Queen's Roast was an evening of banter that left you feeling bad for laughing, but it is all in good humour.
The venue invites the public to experience a roast to either mark the departure of a local legend or to raise vital funds for charity. And a Liverpool audience knows how to take a joke.
If you attended the last event, you'll know it perhaps wasn't the best due to the odd deliveries and award silences. I was more or less expecting the same energy, much to my surprise, last night's show was hysterical.
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Debs acted as MC and wrangled a rowdy room with ease. She was the perfect tie between comedians and delivered a quirky, upbeat energy over the course of several hours. Even in the background, her reactions were one to watch.
The arguable star of the evening was Carmen Sutra who came out swinging as the official first roaster. Being the opener must have felt daunting but there was no way to tell as she took to the microphone to deliver a handful of heavy hitters you'd never dare repeat in public. Numerous audience members were hit with genuinely offensive jabs but at their core, they had humour which allowed them to fly.
The same could be said for all of the queens' material. No one person's stand-up felt like they were trying to make an insult funny. An issue with a roast is that the banter can come across as mean but everyone managed to stay well above this line with actual comedy sprinkled with cutting digs.
After Carmen strutted back to her seat, knowing she nailed every minute of her standup, Minnie Cooper took to the post. Tamer than her predecessor, it was a generally enjoyable set. Veteran Brenda LaBeau offered lengthier jokes than the rest of the lineup with a mellow and relaxed demeanour. One of the highlights of the night came at after-hours nightclub Heaven's expense though the staff who were in attendance rightly found it hilarious.
Following a brief intermission, Violet Period Pain issued objectively humorous material but I felt she didn't receive the applause she deserved. A few stutters and note flips here and there combined with the reliance on the audience left silence in the room but overall she still pulled a handful of big laughs.
Ketona Madrave's set was typical of a roast and didn't really stray creatively from anything you've probably heard before. Last but not least was Ava who had big shoes to fill as the closing act. She completely tore up the room with her dry humour, attacking her fellow queens and the audience with eye-popping offensive material that went down a storm with the Liverpool crowd as she wasn't afraid to poke fun at herself too. The length of her slot went on for a little long but every second was well received.
Carmen and Ava were the standout standups of the night. The continuous low blows and dark comedy aimed at anyone who caught their eye were hysterical - the perfect tag team of opening and closing acts. When the next roast inevitably rolls around, you must go and see it.
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