Words and photos: Kat Springate
Brighton’s only drag king night – K I N G D O M – got all festive this month with a ‘Hairy Christmas’ special. It’s a hugely popular event so we we went down to show you what all the fuss is about. 
K I N G D O M always gets a great turnout and Hairy Christmas was no exception.
The Marlborough Pub and Theatre hosts this regular night which attracts the biggest names on the drag king scene.
Rico Del Ray is an award winning King and a frequent performer at K I N G D O M so I asked her what keeps her coming back to the Marlborough. She explained: “Rico is not a character but a part of me, when I perform at Kingdom I can always be myself, it’s a wonderful safe space.”
At K.I.N.G.D.O.M , anything goes. It’s a non-judgmental space with no hecklers or animosity and asks talented performers to ‘man up’, encouraging dialogue about the politics of identity and gender.
There were definitely more than three kings at this Christmas show, and it’s fair to say that Santa’s sack was bulging!
Check out the K I N G D O M Facebook page for details of up and coming shows.
