HELP! I THINK I MIGHT BE FABULOUS The Royal Croquet Club (RCC) Until 18 Mar 2018 Review by Paige Mulholland Despite the title, there’s no “might” about it – Alfie Ordinary is unquestionably fabulous. With sparkly costumes as hot as the steamy interior of the Plaza Parlour tent, celebrity guests (in hand puppet form) and more glitter than you can shake a stick at, this show is supremely camp and a fun, light-hearted addition to any Fringe experience. “Help! I think I Might Be Fabulous” follows the story of Alfie, a drag prince (that’s the son of a drag queen, for the uninitiated) living in a genderfluid, liberal utopia and attending Madame LeCoq's Preparatory School for Fabulous Boys. With a soundtrack featuring gay icons like Bette Midler, Whitney Houston and The Village People, the show gives you exactly what it promises – sparkly, fluffy fun, although it could use a little editing. Although Alfie’s soft pop vocals and simple piano is enjoyable (except when he’s purposefully making it not so), his strength is definitely in his spoken storytelling. Some of the songs start to feel repetitive after a while, particularly when puppets Whitney Houston and Bette Midler come out to play. The puppets are very well-made and funny to watch, but you can only watch a puppet’s mouth flap in front of a microphone for so long before it starts to lose its appeal. Partway through the story, Alfie meets a new friend at Madame LeCoq’s called John, who is forced to hide his fabulousness from his heteronormative family. Obviously Alfie is a figment of our imaginations – the fabulous, self-accepting boy who grew up in a world without discrimination or gender norms, and John is the reality – conflicted, unsure, and doing his best to navigate a world where he doesn’t always belong. This is explained in great detail, in a monologue where Alfie breaks character to tell us about how far we are from his reality, but the audience probably didn’t need this monologue in the first place; it’s better to show than to tell, and John’s story shows us the reality clearly enough – we don’t need to be told as well. Fabulous boys and fabulous sympathisers alike will enjoy this short, bubbly show. Bring the Will to your Grace, or the Grace to your Will along, and enjoy this masterclass in fabulousness (and rhinestone application). Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)