The world premiere of Jonathan Larkin’s Cherry Jezebel opens at the Everyman Theatre, Liverpool on 8 March. The production will be directed by James Baker (Jerry Springer – The Opera at Hope Mill Theatre, YANK! The Musical).
After an open casting call with Pearson Casting, to ensure representation from non-binary, trans, and cis male actors, the cast includes Mickey Jones as legendary drag queen Cherry Brandy, Mariah Louca as her best friend Heidi Handjob, Stefan Race as the new non-binary queen on the scene Pearl Reckless and George Jones as lad about town Mo.
“The party ain’t over yet! As long as that music keeps playing, I’ll keep dancing!”
Behind the mascara, the wigs, and the six-inch stiletto heels, all that glitters isn’t gold. At least Cherry Brandy’s always got her best mate Heidi. But growing up queer in Liverpool is grim, and the queer family they’ve forged is about to slip through Cherry’s nicotine-stained fingers.
From the boudoirs to the bathrooms of Liverpool’s gloriously gobby drag scene, Cherry Jezebel is a riot of lipstick and split lips, of bitching and bruises. It’s a play that celebrates queerness while spilling the tea on the pain behind the polish.
Jonathan said, ‘I started writing Cherry Jezebel about four years ago and it has evolved from a celebration of older queer voices to a piece about trauma, family and the lengths outsiders will go to find a safe space in a violent straight white world. It started out as a collection of nostalgic stories rooted in the past but now has both its high heels planted in the Liverpool of today. I’m looking forward to posing tough questions about how queer people are treated in Liverpool and beyond – but also showing how resilient and fabulous we are.
Everyone is looking for family, for safety, and for acceptance no matter how they identify, so hopefully, people who might not necessarily be LGBTQ will see Cherry Jezebel and go ‘Oh yes I understand that I’ve been in her/his/their shoes.’
