The Ladyboys of Bangkok, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre - review with pictures

But when I walked into Wolverhampton Grand Theatre for the city’s one-night-only appearance from The Ladyboys of Bangkok, I did wonder what I had let myself in for. The majority of the audience being much older than me, for one.

The curtains opened to a P!nk number, and immediately my eyes were drawn to the glitzy costumes sparkling across the stage.

The troupe of stunning showgirls oozed beauty and within minutes I found myself forgetting that they 'just happened to be men'.

At times I found myself laughing just because I was so shocked at what was before my eyes – ‘a grumpy dwarf from Oldham’, who was often the butt of the joke, and risqué performances from one performer I can only describe as the Queen of the Stage.

My jaw dropped when Rihanna’s S&M echoed across the theatre and an unsuspecting man from the audience pulled on to the stage in the midst of what can only be described as carnage.

Quick costume changes saw performances of Aqua’s Barbie Girl, Ed Sheeran’s Galway Girl and a very bizarre take on A Spoonful of Sugar from Mary Poppins.

The second half of the show was much more upbeat, and a lot more like my cup of tea. The crowd got to their feet for an Abba medley, while Village People’s YMCA obviously got everyone flaunting the only dance moves they could to that song.

Dolly Parton and Tina Turner also made show-stopping appearances, enticing the crowd to sing at the tops of their voices.

The lip-syncing wasn’t always in time with the music, and some of the performers were a little off with the lyrics. And I’m no dance expert, but the choreography wasn’t exactly mind-blowing.

But it’s one of those cabaret shows that you really can’t take too seriously or you’ll miss out on a lot of laughter.

Apparently ‘no-one leaves without a smile on their face and a song in their heart’, I suppose that’s right.