I really, really wanted to love this.

I love Queer art, I love drag, and I love horror- but unfortunately I was let down. I debated about posting a reivew or not, but ultimately thought I should, because I so badly want this show to come back bigger and better!

The set: The set itself was fabulous. I loved it, I was immediately taken to a campy summer camp. However, I felt the set was extremely under-utilized. With a set of large doors, it was a shame that no one came through them. I wish that there had been more interactions with the large tent on stage, more running and weaving through the trees in the back. I felt like many of these pieces were used in one performance and then not again. Which is a shame because they were so lovely!

The props: The props that were used were well constructed, I loved the book in particular. But more thought could have been put into placement. Simple things, like having props preset on stage- rather than having a crew member pass them onstage to a performer.

The staging: I know the host mentioned they are used to being in smaller venues- and I'm so glad that they had a bigger one this year! Unfortunately, I don't know that they had the experience with how to work with such a large venue. The biggest issue- so many incredible moments of floor work were done so far downstage that the audience beyond the front few rows couldn't see it. I mentioned this earlier, but also there were so many missed opportunities to really interact with the set- most performers stayed in a small bubble in downstage centre, when there are all these fabulous pieces to interact with. A final note on staging- is just that for such a large venue it's important to keep in mind how BIG things need to be to reach the back. Often times I felt the eyelines were more directed at the lower rows, opposed to the middle of the theatre, so we often lost the performers faces , overly intricate make up can look muddy from a distance so we lost the performers eyes and lips. Some make-up looks can be absolutely stunning from 5 feet away, but are lost completely when you have a venue as large as the Westbury. Other comments mentioned this, but going into the crowd at this venue doesn't really work, as the house lights do kill the vibe of the overall spookiness.

the performances: Naturally with an anthology there will be a variance in skill level- I understand this. But the gap between levels felt very wide in some cases. There were a few absolutely stunning numbers, and other numbers that I felt dragged, with repetivite movements, and not much more than lip synching while standing. I think that shorter numbers, or more interaction with set (or secondary performers) could have given the performers more to do. I also think shorter numbers could have helped out our host- I loved what they were doing with the introductions but some of them felt a little rushed, which I think just comes down to having a tight time. Additionally, some of the pieces felt really out of place, and not really on theme. I think there were so many places to go with a summer camp theme, and I wish that had informed the performances more, rather than just being a backdrop.

The costumes: Some of them were absolutely gorgeous! I loved the park ranger costume particularly. Others became a little muddy from a distance, lacking some shape and definition. I wish there had been a bit more color contrast, even just a bit of highlighting so our eyes could decipher more.

The standouts: Karly Klimax- jaw dropping, incredible. Would go back next year just to see her perform again. Emmonia: Super campy and fun. Fabulous host, loved the occasional political commentary, loved their evil laugh. I wish their introductions had more time to breathe, as when they had a little more time they really brought us in. Their opening number was also super campy and fun for the most part, I absolutely loved her use of props, the flashlight bit especially - but I did have one big issue with it, which brings me to-

Safety: There were two moments in the show where I felt unsafe. One moment in the opening number where I felt it was veering into SA which was not flagged in the content warnings. It made me pretty uncomfortable and based on other reviews I'm not alone in this. I don't know if this was intended, or if it was just unfortunate positioning of the two performers. The second moment was also in the opening and involved rope going around an actors neck. I was genuinely concered about the actors safety. I know the performers may have both felt completely safe- but in that moment I was really taken out of the show because I was afraid for them.

Diversity: I really enjoyed how diverse the cast was. Next year, I'd love to see a fat/plus-size or disabled queen- but really, great work on getting diverse Queens overall.

Misc: The merch- OMG LOVE the idea of merit badges. I love when shows have thematic merch and that is such a brilliant idea, whoever came up with that huge kudos. -The camp counsellor character that kept having a bad time- was just so funny and wonderful! I loved having that character to play against the queens.

Overall: This show has so, so much potential. I think this group would really benefit from a dramaturg or an outside eye to help with things like cohesion and staging for a style of venue that may be completely new to them!

I really believe this idea has legs to go the distance, and am genuinely looking forward to seeing what they make next year. I really want more Queer art, and these are clearly such passionate individuals with really great ideas.