Drawn That Way: Petulant Guppy Theatre at the Fringe

Bebe Queen’s drag-queen show starts promisingly. Bebe Queen (Bebe Brunjes), all heels and sparkly eyeliner, cavorts between the cabaret tables at Live on Elgin as Kesha’s Boogie Feet thunders through the small venue and the crowd eggs on Bebe’s enthusiastic, leggy performance.

Alas, the rest of the show doesn’t measure up to its first few minutes.

A mix of weak comedy bits (at one point, Bebe jokes about “forefathers, forebrothers and … foreskins”) and music (Jumpin’ Joel Flash was among Bebe’s guest performers on opening night, although guest artists change every time), the show is stitched together by Bebe’s own story of coming out, including the first time he fell in love.

Andrea MacWilliams on guitar and Kenny Hayes on keyboard composed the music for the show. They also serve as backup when Bebe, who’s performed within the straighter confines of Orpheus Musical Theatre, belts out numbers with both conviction and pleasing power.

Writer/director Victoria Luloff and company have the bones of a good show here, but the script is still less than insightful (being provocative for the sake of provocation wears thin), Bebe’s lines and her character are still distant acquaintances, and the repartee between Bebe and MacWilliams cries out for split-second timing if it’s to work at all.

The Ottawa Fringe Festival continues until June 24 at various downtown venues. ottawafringe.com, 613-232-6162