INTERVIEW: Sweet Boy

Image by TJ Mov

Sweeping stages across the North East and beyond, the spectacular non-binary drag clown Sweet Boy is set to perform their biggest cabaret endeavour to date, and all the emotions are catching up with them. “Exciting! Scary! So many emotions! It all feels a little surreal and I’m not sure it’s sunk in yet, but I do know I’m giving it everything I’ve got.”

Known for their warm, endearing and utterly hilarious performances bursting with joy and life, Sweet Boy certainly knows how to dazzle an audience; whether it’s their impeccable eye for costume design, genius lip syncs or stunning, cinematic visuals. With eclectic inspirations from Sasha Velour, Tierra Whack, Mr Bean, Charlie Chaplin and PeeWee Herman, Sweet Boy notes their Mum as one of their biggest inspirations, who also inspired the title of their upcoming debut solo show, Up In Lights.

The show documents their journey of self-discovery across cities via a musical voyage full of fabulous detours in drag and clownery, exploring identity and grief. “My mum used to always say to me, something along the lines of ‘one day boy, you’ll be a star with your name up in lights’.” Sweet Boy recalls. “As a young film editor, this never made sense to me. After she passed away, I found comfort in drag and then suddenly what she’d been saying all made sense. The show is for my mum, to show her everything she’s missed. To show everyone else you can get through it and you can succeed.”

the moment you take action towards reaching your dreams the sooner you’ll find yourself living your dream. Because one day, maybe you will see your name up in lights!

Vulnerable is one word at the forefront of my mind in learning about their show. I’m in awe of the power and bravery it takes to approach this deeply personal part of their life, choosing to turn it into something beautiful, colourful, hopeful and fun. “I’ve been finding it very therapeutic. Bittersweet for sure, it’s difficult and painful but it’s empowering too,” Sweet Boy relays.

They describe a “quest for comfort” as one of their biggest motivators. “Being in lockdown after losing my biggest rock in the world, my mum, I was desperately seeking comfort. I found it in drag, spending hours in my bedroom learning to glue my bushy eyebrows down not realising that I was finding a comfort I would carry with me for many years to come.”

I’m sure for many audience members, seeing this show will be a profoundly comforting experience. “The world can just be such a heavy, dark place without it.” Sweet Boy states. “The current political climate is weighing heavy on the LGBTQIA+ community, especially our trans sisters. What we can do is come together, find our space, relax and enjoy. Comedy is how I’ve dealt with the struggles of my life, so I hope to pass on a distraction from the real world and give everyone a smile to walk out the door with.”

Feeling inspired, I concluded our interview by asking if they had any advice for up and coming performers: “The first step is to simply go for it. It’s so much easier said than done, but the moment you take action towards reaching your dreams the sooner you’ll find yourself living your dream. Because one day, maybe you will see your name up in lights!”

Sweet Boy Presents… Up In Lights is at Alphabetti Theatre, Newcastle on Saturday 2nd August.