Bianca Del Rio: Dead Inside at Eventim Apollo

Drag Royalty, Bianca Del Rio, sashays into Hammersmith’s legendary Eventim Apollo as part of her Dead Inside tour, the irony being, that within just minutes of the evening commencing, we feel quite the opposite. Think the drag equivalent of Joan Rivers: nothing and no one is safe, and Del Rio clearly revels in being ringmaster. The night opens with an energising warm-up act by the inimitable Mary Mac, who deservedly receives rapturous applause. It more than sets the tone for what is ahead, although no one can ever fully prepare for the grandiose flamboyancy of Bianca.

After taking the crown on the memorable sixth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race all the way back in 2014, Del Rio’s career has continued to flourish. She was the first drag queen in “HERstory” to headline Wembley Arena and this marks her sixth worldwide tour. There is still, evidently, a hunger for the queen’s acerbic put-downs, unapologetic self-deprecation and irreverent outlook on life. Del Rio is guaranteed to satisfy our appetite, although anyone who is easily offended ought to steer clear!

Del Rio – as she keeps reminding herself – needs to stick to the script but from the off can’t help but embark on a runaway train of thought. We are here for it.  From throwing shade at other drag queens – particularly past contestants of the aforementioned show – to discussing gun violence and even referencing such contentious figures as Trump and P Diddy, we are gifted a vast array of topics. All of which are acidulously dissected by our unrelenting host. Her misanthropic tirade towards people takes no prisoners – her paying audience obliterated in a diatribe of barbed and brutal insults.

We close with a Q&A, which inevitably allows much in the way of humorous improvisation. While on the surface the show seems spontaneous, Del Rio is a master of her craft, always one step ahead and knowing exactly what she is doing. It takes a lot of skill to appear this casual but in Bianca’s hands the entire evening feels fluid and flies by in a blink. 

“Outrageous” and “shocking” are words often used to describe larger-than-life comics, but Bianca Del Rio undoubtedly personifies them. The self-proclaimed “clown in a gown” captivates her crowd, ensuring we are entertained and appalled in equal measure. There is a thrill in never knowing what the star might say next – the off-the-cuff nature of the performance playing to Del Rio’s strengths. Granting us some insight into her imaginative and colourful mind, this is not a show that will be easy to forget. She might be dead inside, but we depart with a new lease of life. The galvanised response from her spectators says it all: Bianca is unquestionably one of the all-time greats of the drag world and tonight proves why. 

Jonathan Marshall
Photo: Courtesy of Bianca Del Rio

Bianca Del Rio: Dead Inside was at Eventim Apollo on 24^th September 2024. For further information or to book visit the theatre’s website here.