Sound of the Underground review – magnificent explosion of mesmerising drag

Sound of the Underground … (l-r) Ms Sharon Le Grand, Tammy Reynolds as Midgitte Bardot, Sue Gives a Fuck, Lilly SnatchDragon, Wet Mess, Chiyo, Rhys Hollis as Rhys’ Pieces and Mwice Kavindele as Sadie Sinner the Songbird. Photograph: Helen Murray

It takes some time for Travis Alabanza’s show about the underground drag scene to set alight. But once it does, somewhere in the later part of the first act – after the awkward early scenes – it is a magnificent explosion of burlesque, feather boas, radical politics, pain, anger, filthy humour and breathtaking drag.

Co-created and directed by Debbie Hannan, the fire lies in the song and dance numbers, thunderous in their power, that come in the second act. But before that there are discussions on the state of the art today. Issues such as low pay and unionisation are flagged up, a little woodenly, but the show begins to bare its heart as the set is dismantled to reveal the naked walls of the theatre beyond.