“Don’t be shy”, the usher calls out after the audience members scurrying towards the back rows of Darlinghurst’s Loading Dock Theatre.
“There’s no scary audience participation.”
This promise is swiftly broken. Skank Sinatra, the coiffed drag persona of Melbourne-based performer Jens Radda, sits on knees, teases attendees, and throws herself across the laps of the second back row, thwarting their attempts at inconspicuousness in one satiny swoop. Skank is here headlining Pride Fest 2025, the second edition of the museum Qtopia Sydney’s month-long program of comedy, theatre, literary chats, films, and of course, drag.
Dressed in a sharply tailored pantsuit, like an alternate-universe Hillary Clinton set to announce a run on Rupaul’s Drag Race, Skank covers a lot of ground in the tight 60 minute set. It’s a broadway musical style rendition of their (really Jens’) life, from emigrating from South Africa to Australia as a child (“who’s ever done that before?”) to their pilgrimage from the coked-up clubs of Sydney to the culturally-inclined Melbourne cabaret scene (“a city where every barista has an MFA”).
There’s a suite of musical numbers — and yes, plenty of Frank Sinatra — with queer twists that delight the audience. In a soaring cover of That’s Life, Skank promises to “back on top, back on top of YOU in June”. Strangers in the Night becomes an ode to meeting their lover, fellow drag queen Iva Rosebud — eagle-eyed program readers might note that Ita Buttrose is a patron of Qtopia Sydney — in Blacktown RSL.
That’s not the only reference to Iva in the show, and I’m delighted to discover that Skank and Iva are very much a couple in real life. A gorgeous piece about their love story recently appeared in The Guardian Australia as part of the show’s promotion.
The performance crackles with wit, but is ultimately anchored by Skank’s tenderness. The same could be said of much of the Pride Fest 2025 lineup: a love letter to queer culture and story-telling with community at its core. Laughter bounces off of the halls in the Qtopia Sydney exhibition rooms just outside the theatre, and there are strangers striking up conversation everywhere.
The only people left feeling glum are those who turned up hoping to get tickets at the door. “We’re sold out”, the volunteer apologetically explains to one forlorn group. “Skank’s a hot commodity.”
