The festive period is here and there are so many shows that are available for audiences to go and watch! Over the next few weeks, we will be talking to lots of different shows and performers about what they have in store for this time of year! Today we find out all about Wicked Witches which has two versions of the show – a family friendly one and an adults only version. We speak to Crayola the Queen to find out all about the show that is at The Pleasance Theatre this festive season.

Hello tell us a little bit about yourself!

My name is Gigi Zahir, and I am a performer and theatre-maker, perhaps better known as my drag alter ego Crayola. I’m 36, grew up in America, India and Malaysia, and have been working in cabaret in theatre in London for about 9 years now. I have a passion for horror movies, RPG video games and belting out showtunes.

What is the show that you are bringing to the stage in this Festive season?

Wicked Witches! A Popular Panto. A panto-fied reformulation of the characters you know and love from Wicked and The Wizard of Oz with a queer af twist!

Tell us all about the character that you play?

I play the wickedly talented, the one and only, Adelphaba Dazeem – but you can just call me Adele! Like any great villain, she’s bullied, misunderstood and just trying to do the right thing. And drawing from Wicked’s Elphaba, perhaps she’s not so bad after all…

Will there be a bit of festivity in your show?

A bit? This show is positively brimming with tinsel, glitter, bubbles, fun and laughter! It’s a new spin on the panto tradition, but definitely has all the festive essentials intact.

What are your favourite things about the festive season and why?

Food, family, friends, and food. I love that in the peak of festive season, you can have dessert for breakfast and no one bats an eyelid!

This time of year the venues tend to be a bit busier as well – do you find that the audience changes at all?

Well, my yearly jaunt into panto-land usually entails much younger audiences than I typically get at my drag shows, and they are harsh critics that are very in touch with their instincts – if they don’t like something or lose interest, they let you know immediately! Which forces you to bring your A game. It’s also lovely because panto is a lot of people’s first trip to the theatre, and hopefully will inspire heaps more theatre-going. And exposing people to positive queer and trans representation at a time of prejudice and moral panic (not too dissimilarly from a certain green witch…) is the cherry on the cake.

What advice would you give for people performing around the festive season?

Stay hydrated, eat well, rest when you can, and have fun!

What is the best thing about a night at your show for the audience?

Well some of our night shows are actually quite different from our day shows as we are running both Family Friendly and Adult versions of Wicked Witches! So a night at our show will serve up all the same joyful chaos as the daytime version, but with an extra dose of wickedness, naughtiness and escandalo!

If people want to find out more about you where can they follow you on social media?

For me personally, you can check me out @CrayolaTheQueen and @TheGigiZahir, and for the show (plus more amazing, year-round theatre, cabaret, comedy and entertainment!) it’s @ThePleasance.

And Finally in three words – Why should people come and see the show?

Because it’s 1. Fun, 2. Fruity and 3. FABULOUS!

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