There's no place like home for Ruby Slippers

'There's no place like home', so says Dorothy as she clicks her ruby slippers together in The Wizard of Oz.
Drag Queens Phoenix (left), played by Jordan Simms, and Destiny who are starring in Ruby Slippers at Funny GirlsDrag Queens Phoenix (left), played by Jordan Simms, and Destiny who are starring in Ruby Slippers at Funny Girls
Drag Queens Phoenix (left), played by Jordan Simms, and Destiny who are starring in Ruby Slippers at Funny Girls

Therefore, it seems fitting that a brand new show, titled Ruby Slippers, set at a fictional Blackpool drag club of the same name, should premiere at real life Blackpool drag club - Funny Girls.

The show focusses on Raz, owner of The Ruby Slippers club and his relationship with Ryan, the man of his dreams.

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However, business is poor and a rival club has opened which threatens to not only steal Raz’s customers but also his star acts, Drag Queens Phoenix and Destiny.

Blackpool actor Jordan Simms plays Phoenix in the show, a character he describes as comic relief. He admits that drag is something that’s relatively new challenge to him but one he relishes.

He said: “ I moved to Manchester two years ago and started to do drag because I’d started to work at a gay bar part time.

“I started to see drag shows and I thought ‘maybe that’s something I could do’ so I applied my training at drama school into drag, that went really well and it transpired into opportunities like The Ruby Slippers.”

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Owen Farrow, who goes by the drag name of Divina De Campo, recently impressed the judges on BBC’s The Voice.

He plays the other half of the double act in the play, Destiny, and he played a pivotal part on introducing Jordan to the world of drag.

Jordan added: “Owen has been doing drag for 10 years.

“He owns the club I used to work in and he’s helped me to get into it and develop my drag persona.

“So it’s all been through Owen really teaching me the ways and how I could apply what I did at drama school into drag.”

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One of the things Jordan’s most been impressed with is the characterisation, he said: “I’ve been out in Blackpool a lot and all of the characters in the play, I recognise from going out in Blackpool and from my own family and friends.

“It’s strange to see how accurate Emma (Culshaw) and David (Paul) have written the characters because they are characters that I know.”

Ruby Slippers debuts tomorrow. Tickets can be booked in person at Funny Girls or over the phone on 01253 649194.

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