The Manchester drag queens 'breaking new ground' in festive Cinderella pantomime

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Watching proceedings at this year’s Christmas pantomime at Manchester’s Contact theatre, you may be led to think that it’s service as normal when it comes to the panto tradition: Drags as dames - check, a classic fairy-tale - check, and family-appropriate innuendos - check, check, check.

But, in reality, this festive production is making history in a number of ways. For Contact’s rendition of Cinderella - taking place from December 9 to 31 - will be the first panto, one of the performers believes, to feature a South Asian drag queen.

And it’s Manchester drag icon Lady Bushra who gets such honour, playing Cinder’s evil stepsister Veruca. “It’s my first time in panto and I would go as far as to say this is also the first time a South Asian drag queen has ever done panto in the UK,” Bushra, originally from Bradford but now lives in Manchester, tells the M.E.N. “We’re breaking ground in many ways.” READ MORE: We took a ride on the Santa Special steam train at East Lancashire Railway and it was the perfect way to kickstart Christmas READ MORE: A look around the luminous trail in Warrington that is impressing Mancunians The usual story of Cinderella will be there for audiences of all ages to enjoy, but the classic fairy-tale will also receive a modern-day rejig featuring an assortment of twists and changes. “One of the biggest twists we’ve taken is that we have a white person and a South Asian person claiming to be sisters,” Bushra laughs. “I think that’s twisted enough in itself, really.

It’s going to be interesting to see how that dynamic works.” Taking on sisterly duties in the all-singing, all-dancing production will be the one and only Misty Chance.