Sigi Moonlight serving you drag by bike
Drag king and comedy gem of Bitten Peach cabaret talks cycling, waterproofs and after show hunger.
When it’s a show day I try to start it very chill, but it doesn't always work that way. If it's an act I haven't done for a very long time, I will find some time during the day to run through it. When it’s a couple of hours before I leave, I kind of do a double check, get my things in my bag. I have a massive 40 litre backpack that I take around backpacker style. I use it for travelling, but also for drag. My rule is, if I can get everything in my backpack, I can cycle to the venue. It's varies, because I don't just do drag. I'm an actor. So sometimes I'm on a shoot, sometimes I'm doing a voiceover session in the studio. Sometimes I'm doing all kinds of other work. It really depends. But wherever I am, I'm cycling to the venue even if that means carrying my drag bag from one place to the next.
London is so good for cycling and it’s the way I get around. It’s how I roll. The thing is when I turn up to a venue everyone thinks it’s hilarious: they make a joke, like, Have you just been out in the mountains on a hike? Yeah, that’s my aesthetic. When I’m in drag, I’m the suave, besuited Sigi Moonlight. Outside drag, I’m, I don't know, a German hitch hiker lesbian. I'm half German and I’ve had comments from friends like, you dress in a in very German way: raincoat, full on backpack, very sensible footwear, always waterproof. I kind of dig that aesthetic. It's like a superhero vibe, I kind of go in undercover and then when I'm on stage I look completely different.
When I get to the venue it depends honestly on what the show is like. The show we've just had (Tales From the Bitten Peach at Stratford East) we’ve been in tech since 12 because it's just a one-off show and it’s more like a theatre production. So we’ve played around a lot with the lights and cues and everything else. Normally I arrive one to two hours before the show starts, if I need to do tech run throughs, like it's always before the doors open. And that, you know, can vary... If it's like an eight o'clock start, I'll get there for six and doors open at seven. If it's a late one then normally it's a wing-it kind of scenario. I will give the team as much info about what they need to do on the night, make the cues as simple as possible so they can just press play when I appear. If it’s that kind of scenario then sometimes I turn up in drag or half in drag just in case and then I can give myself an hour to calm down, make sure everything's in place and then go.
I like to peak at the audience, behind the curtains or around a stage door but it depends on the venue. Some places you are literally swimming in the audience before you go on stage like the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, but other places like Stratford East, there's no contact whatsoever. Before I came down tonight for instance, I forgot that I had left my shirt downstage, downstairs, so I had to kind of go half naked, and I realised all the doors had opened already, so I had to tiptoe around the back. It depends. I like to have a gauge of who's coming and that’s why love performing at bars and queer venues. But I love big theatres too. It's different vibe.
When I'm doing drag I need at least an hour to make sure I'm completely ready, ‘costumed up’ like if I’m doing open chest binding then takes time. If I’m acting - I’m also a character actor at the Cutty Sark in Greenwich - I usually turn up about half an hour before, get into costume, no need for makeup, so I just sidle on. It’s a different affair. If I'm doing a film shoot, I turn up and let everyone else do my makeup. It's amazing! Drag always needs a little bit more extra time and you have to factor that in when you're asking about what fees that people are offering and stuff: it's a labour of love. I do it because it's a really fun thing to do. And it's the bread and butter of my world and my day to day.
What do I like to do after a show? Eat! It’s fun to be able to chill with everyone. The banter backstage is really fun. So I clear up as best I can and once my bags are packed I can chill and de-stress. I can meet people who have come to see me and say hi. If it's a lovely show and I really love the people I'm working with I’ll hang out with them until everyone's gone. If it’s sort of like a corporate thing or a bit of an average gig I just read the room really.
After the show I have a massive gorge. It’s the after show hunger. My metabolism is managing to keep up but the amount of crap I eat is wild. I’m a sweet fiend so biscuits, chocolate, gummies or anything that I can put my hands on really. Dumplings sometimes, frozen ones that I steam and have with chilli oil. It depends on how far apart I've had the last meal since I've performed: because sometimes I don't know how to fit in a meal. It's not through nerves or anything. It's just because you're too busy doing other things and you have to fit in eating at other random points when you have the chance.
When things go wrong in a show is often the best moment. I once fell off the stage when I was doing a stand up routine. I completely fell off a metre high stage and hurt my butt pretty bad. I ended up just mixing it into the routine. I was like “I really hurt my coochie” and then I had to sing live and because I was in a bit of shock I ended up forgetting half the song so I just started whining it. Everyone was pissing themselves laughing. At least a handful of the audience thought it was all part of the routine. When something goes wrong it usually creates the best moments. Even if you don't like what goes wrong you can't show it, because the audience is there with you in this moment and you have to kind of share the collective failure with them. In a lot of cases that helps the comic relief. I've had loads of moments where I grabbed a microphone and the techie hasn't realised I need to talk into it. So then I do a bit, like, “Oh, now it's working. Let's rewind and go back exactly to where I was.” You riff off those things and just kind of learn as you go. I’m still learning.
See Sigi at his upcoming shows:
Lesbian Week of Visibility, Kindred Hammersmith, 26th of April
You Shall Not Yass, Brighton Fringe, 6th of May
and is a regular host at, Batsu! Underbelly Boulevard theatre in Soho running through to mid July
We saw what you did in the dark:
Sketch Off Finals, 07/04/24, Leicester Square Theatre,
The 10 acts of this show have tirelessly battled their way through heats, quarter-finals, semi-finals, and finally here, the grand finale! Created by the Museum of Comedy in the quest to find the best writers and performers across the country, it’s 8th year (we’re pretty sure on that) has called for a whopping 18 rounds of heats with all finalists asked to provide 7 minutes of original material.
We travelled as a party of four to this evening, and by the end of it we had four different favourites: from a creepy lady found in a laundrette on the Isle of Wight; the old mentor of Michael Bublé with an acid reflex; two squabbling PE teachers to finally the real life incarnation of the Monopoly man.
The MC of the night was Sam Nicoresti (@samnicoresti), who let slip they had once been a bartender in the very theatre that they were now hosting in. It was a moment to celebrate the finalists’ progression and aid this by coming together and celebrating with them for all the hard work they have put in. It was a Sunday night and we can't help but think that this night is a good night for the late night entertainment scene, proof of this was in how many members of the industry we saw in the audience, all taking the moment to enjoy this show together.
There were so many strong, fizzing, exciting ideas at this finale and too many for us to go into detail here, but please keep an eye out for all of these finalists:
Burger and a Pint (@jamestrickey_ & @tedmilliganisnice), Jonathan Oldfield (@Jonwoldfield), Mudfish (@mudfishcomedy), Dirty Laundry (@dirtylaundry_fringe), Eva and Hudson (@eva.wallis & @hudsonhughesfilms), Finlay & Joe (@finlayandjoe), Jake Detenber (@jakedeten), Katie McLeod (@Katiejanemcleod), Max Devine, and Ozzy Algar (@ozzyalgar)