Lilly Slaptsilli – “I’m not a violent person” show at Beefcakes Cape Town
The last time I watched a drag show was at Nadine’s birthday party in Jo’burg when she hired the guys from Beefcakes as the evening’s entertainment. The time before that was in Thailand where the he-she’s looked like her’s and women wished they had hips that looked like the he’s.
Sometime during lockdown, while we were still landlocked in Jo’burg, Annie locked on to Lilly Slaptsilli’s videos of Beryl Cohen, the Seapoint kugel who video calls her mate, Shaz, to bitch about everything, particularly her husband Lionel, and then would bitch about Shaz only to realize the camera was still on. Beryl became Annie’s new fav, and she’s wanted to see one of his/her shows ever since we/us were/used to be in Jo’burg/Mzanzi, and when we moved/relocated to the land of Beryl/Lilly/Shaz she’s been on the lookout for his/her next show. Well, that eventually happened at Beefcakes in Greenpoint, where a group of us went last week.
Beefcakes is a vibe, and you’ve got to take it for what it is. Don’t go there if you’re going to slam it. It’s a cocktail bar with ripped and sometimes bare chested young male waiters that serves burgers, and your choices are chicken or beef. You can go completely wild and spice up your meal with a starter platter, but that’s about it as far as the menu goes. You go there for the vibe, the bare chested boys, the drinks and the show.
Beryl/Lilly’s show was brilliant. She does the show in two parts – Lilly, a relatable Queen with a wicked sense of humour, followed by Beryl, the Jewish Seapoint kugel married to Lionel who pokes fun at everything we know and love about our Jewish foibles. Some of the jokes went over the heads of some of the folk in the audience who didn’t catch some of the Jewish references, but there was enough in his material to make everyone in the audience laugh to the point where the guys at the table opposite us were literally gasping for breath. He mixes in some song and dance too for variety. I thought the show was brilliant.
Annie went outside to meet him/her before the show and went uncontrollably fan-girl on him. Out came the cameras, and the gushing, and between her and Gayle, Lilly/Beryl got so much love before the show even started. Be warned – Beryl takes no prisoners so turn your phone off before the show. If it rings you might find yourself the subject of some unintended attention.
The Lilly Slaptsilli show is on every Wednesday at Beefcakes, Greenpoint. Catch it while it’s still running. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
#entertainment #whatsonincapetown #dragqueen #beefcakes
