Review: The Follies Grandé - Birmingham Drag & Burlesque Festival

★★★★★ 

The inaugural Birmingham Drag & Burlesque Festival launched in 2026 with a wide range of events including: creative panels for performers, nightclub productions, and theatre shows. Produced by House of Allure’s powerhouse, Dominus Von Vexo, the festival showcased the diversity of Birmingham, UK and even global drag and burlesque, making it the first of its kind in the UK.

Among the many events on offer, Midlands Rainbow attended The Follies Grandé at The Old Rep Theatre on Saturday 7th November. This crowning spectacular of the festival, held on its penultimate night, featured two acts, jam-packed full of performers, in a sparkling array of numbers. It was an evening of elaborate, glittering costumes, tantalising stripteases, innovate reveals, and flashy props (like the giant popping champagne bottle in Kitty Ribbons’ number). 

Birmingham’s own Dahliah Rivers hosted the show; keeping proceedings moving smoothly, entertaining audiences between numbers with humour and warmth, and dazzling in her own live vocal performance of When You’re Good To Mama, backed by the House of Allure. A real star of Birmingham’s drag scene, Dahliah’s effortlessly brilliant hosting allowed the House of Allure to do what they do best, captivate an audience. 

Producer Dominus Von Vexo and House of Allure’s Mimi Mariama opened the show with a camply fun and lively number, setting the tone for the evening at a high, and the production continued to soar from there. 

House of Allure members delivered their usual levels of excellence in group numbers, as well as solo moments. Amarise and Mimi Mariama gave classically sexy, powerful, and sultry performances that truly lived up to their alluring namesake. While Locques La Roux and Lioness offered more humorous takes on burlesque with their pop culture-inspired Cave Man number and Fosse meets mime Lead Hat numbers respectively. 

Tempest Rose used her number to convey an empowering message; celebrating bodies, intelligence, and the power of control. Freida Nipples flipped burlesque on its head with her reverse styling that brought bin bags to Madonna’s Vogue with an unexpected glamourous fashion. Benjamin Levi wowed in a Cyr Wheel number that combined the burlesque most people know with circus skills, and Nick Lacy’s number was fantastically vibrant and dynamic. 

Birmingham's Yshee Black returned from London to give audiences some Joyful Joyful joy, Bunny the D'vine brought a very apt bunny striptease, King Crimson smouldered in a Phantom of the Opera number, Adage Angels danced to George Michael's Faith, and Kitty Ribbons ended the first act with a bang (or rather a pop of champagne).

With global burlesque and drag on show, several performers also brought culture to the stage including: Donna Poderosa’s Goddess of the Night in all its feathered glory, and Joona Bae with his sensual movement and fantastic flips. It was Misty Lotus’ beautiful Peacock number, with its Bollywood dance styling and stunning costuming that elicited some of the loudest gasps of awe from the audience. 

The Follies Grandé was a sensational gala night show, full of incredible movement, swirling fabrics, and exquisite performance. Grand indeed, this magnificent extravaganza of performances was a sparkling cocktail of comedy and glamour, sizzling sultry burlesque and clever cabaret. The Follies Grandé was not only a showcase of these talented and creative performers but also a true testament to Dominus’ skillful ability to produce a thoughtful line-up that successfully brought together uniquely different acts that work well together. 

Bimingham Drag & Burlesque Festival continues for its final sold-out day on Sunday 8th November at Eden Bar with 'Worlds Away 2.0' at 3pm and 'Backdoor 54' at 6pm. House of Allure also returns to The Eden in December for 'The Old School Strip!'. With the dazzling success of its premiere, we hope Birmingham Drag & Burlesque Festival will be back in following years. 

This review was written following a press invite to the production.