A Tranny On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown

In arguably one of the most opulent rooms the Free Fringe has to offer, Mzz Kimberely takes to the stage wearing a figure-hugging honey-red gown plus feather fascinator and opens her set with a powerful and poignant rendition of Tahira Jumah’s Will the Real Me Please Stand Up. The lyrics, which include “Will the real me please stand up, not the one behind the mask. Not the one who smiles to hide her pain, who denies her feelings again” foreshadow a comically fictitious, but intrinsically auto-biographical hour in the presence of a gifted artist who has faced more problems than most just to be able to sing the opening song tonight.

Despite the small crowd, Mzz Kim renders a one-woman tornado of energy during numbers like Aretha Franklin’s Think.

Mzz Kim tells us of her many affairs and marriages. There’s Hank, who may not have been the most towering of men, but was “alright with me”; Billy Ray, the sexual pervert; penniless Count St John and the fickle womanising minister Louis P Sherman. This scaffolding provides the framework on which to hang a diverse variety of songs, ranging from Tom Jones to Chicago. Think of it as Mzz Kim: The Jukebox Musical.

Mzz Kim is not a drag act. This is not a cabaret full of blue gags, Minnelli pastiche and barn-door eyeshadow. Whilst she was born a man, Mzz Kim is every inch a lady. A diva with Bassey-like pipes that richly coat every song she touches. Despite the small crowd, Mzz Kim renders a one-woman tornado of energy during numbers like Aretha Franklin’s Think. This is an act you really can’t ignore.

If there’s one criticism it is that it lacks direction. Mzz Kim has assembled the component parts for a great show in both story and talent. The addition of a director would polish up joins between dialog and vocals to a sparkling gleam.