MUSICALS
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London’s Gay Men’s Chorus couldn’t all make it to the fringe this year, so those darlings in charge have dispatched “The far From Kansas” team to entertain the crowds in mega style.

The story is centred on Hardy Dicks, the premier department store for gay men who have hit hard times during the credit crunch and dwindling sales. The manger has to do something, so he hires a reality TV star to prepare his sales men for the drastic action of selling their products to Metro sexual people. The journey along the way shows the Hardy dicks team that they should be proud of who and what they are and the product there trying to shift.

What we essentially get is an hour long camp cabaret very much in the “are you being served” model with a splash of “little shop of horrors” thrown in. The selection of songs is interesting and quite a few have had their lyrics rewritten to gay them up to great comic effect. The highlight of the performance has to be “you are my sister” the song by Anthony and the Johnsons with Boy George on guest vocals, which is given a beautiful treatment by the boys in the show that swells to a simply stunning all male four part harmony which cascades through the auditorium.

The humour is very thumb in cheek and gets big laughs from the sold out audience, unfortunately due to commitments in London the boys are only appearing on the fringe for 5 performances. Do what you must to get a ticket to a show which will hold the title, most fabulously gay of the 2011 Edinburgh fringe season.