Cherry West: A Star on The Rise ★★★

By The Recs JM - James McLuckie 1 day ago

Promising new Scottish drag act delivers her debut cabaret show.

With a towering red wig that looks like the lovechild of the Bride of Frankenstein and Geri Halliwell, Cherry West certainly knows how to make an entrance. And in A Star on the Rise, she proves equally comfortable commanding a stage. Confident, enthusiastic, and clearly relishing every opportunity to engage with her audience, Cherry possesses an easy rapport that many more experienced performers would envy. But while the hair might owe something to Ginger Spice, she could perhaps take a little more inspiration from another famous redhead, Lucille Ball, when it comes to developing her comedy chops.

Images by Greg Macvean

The autobiographical story follows a familiar trajectory: a young Scottish boy discovers drag on a family holiday in Lanzarote, experiments with makeup and costumes, finds inspiration in RuPaul’s Drag Race, takes tentative steps into performing and begins chasing dreams of showbiz stardom. There are supportive family members, early triumphs, crushing disappointments and, inevitably, the determination to bounce back stronger. It’s an engaging enough journey, punctuated by musical numbers and a mock game show, but there’s little here that even casual drag audiences won’t have seen before.

And that’s the principal snag with both show and performer: nothing feels particularly surprising. The salty humour, audience participation and inspirational setbacks follow an established formula, while the musical choices lean towards familiar drag staples, including Shania Twain, Adele and Lady Gaga. Given her youth, there’s a missed opportunity to bring a fresh perspective to established drag conventions. Cherry certainly has a fine set of pipes and can belt out a show tune with conviction, although a muffled sound mix occasionally obscures her vocals and causes the occasional punchline to disappear altogether.

There’s also a sense that Cherry is borrowing a showbiz persona rather than fully embracing her own. The exaggerated, Liza-with-a-Z delivery has its moments, but her natural Scottish wit and personality offer a potentially richer source of comedy. None of this diminishes the considerable enthusiasm, confidence and genuine promise on display. Cherry West already knows how to hold an audience; the next challenge is discovering how to surprise one. With a little more individuality and a few less familiar tricks, this star could rise considerably higher.

Not quite a star turn yet, but there’s plenty of promise out West ★★★ 3 stars

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