Alfie Ordinary on ten years of drag, The Big Drag Pageant and playing a cow at Christmas.
If you’ve been anywhere near Brighton’s cabaret scene in the past decade, you’ll know the name Alfie Ordinary. With his trademark sequins, cheeky grin and larger-than-life charm, Alfie has become a staple of Brighton’s queer culture – part performer, part producer and part sparkly institution.
When we sit down to chat, Alfie is in full storyteller mode, reflecting on a whirlwind ten years that have taken him from the Brighton Fringe to international stages, and now to the Brighton Dome with his spectacular Big Drag Pageant. But how did it all begin? “I don’t even know where to start!” he laughs. “I’ve been doing drag for over ten years now, which sounds like a drop in the ocean compared to some of the queens on the scene. It’s such an ever-growing, ever-changing art form, but I’ve had ten glorious years and hopefully many more.”
Alfie Ordinary
Unlike many of his contemporaries, Alfie doesn’t perform as a drag queen. “When I first started playing with makeup and outfits, I dressed up as a woman and I made a really ugly one!” he jokes. “So I thought, ‘won’t be doing that again.’ But I loved everything about drag, the wigs, the makeup, the costumes, the larger-than-life characters. I wanted to take all of those elements and apply them to a male character. Not necessarily crossing the binary, but existing on the fringes of it.”
That idea became the seed for ‘Help! I Think I Might Be Fabulous’, his debut show at the Brighton Fringe, in which Alfie performs as the son of a drag queen or “a drag prince”. The show was a hit, winning the Brighton Fringe International Touring Bursary in association with The Pebble Trust, and taking Alfie around the world. “I went to mainland Europe, America, Australia, Carlisle on the border of Scotland!” he laughs. “So, yes, technically, I am an international starlet!”
The Brighton Big Drag Pageant
The birth of the Big Drag Pageant
It was during another Brighton Fringe Festival run at the iconic Spiegeltent that inspiration struck. “I was standing with Adrian, who manages the Spiegeltent, watching a show with a runway down the middle. I said, completely on a whim, ‘Wouldn’t it be great to do a drag pageant here?’ He said, ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah!’ and then six months later I got a call: ‘Do you still want to do that drag thing?’”
That “drag thing” became The Brighton Big Drag Pageant, which sold out within days and has been one of the hottest tickets at the Fringe ever since. “It’s been six glorious years of absolute chaos and creativity,” says Alfie. Last year, the pageant moved to the grand stage of the Brighton Dome. “We couldn’t believe it. That’s the same stage ABBA won Eurovision on in 1974!” Alfie grins. “We decided to do an All Stars edition, bringing back previous winners and finalists. It was the best of the best. We had people flying through the air, full set designs, famous musicians doing cameos, it was wild.”
This December, the pageant returns to the Dome for a second time, on Friday 12 December. “We’ve got another incredible All Stars cast, all completely different from one another. You’ll see every kind of drag with something for everyone. Tickets are on sale now though they’re going fast. It sells out every year!” Book tickets here
Alfie – Redefining drag
Redefining drag
Inclusivity is key to Alfie’s vision. His shows don’t just feature traditional drag queens, they also bring together drag kings, bio queens, gender-bending performers and everything in between.“Drag has always been punk,” Alfie says firmly. “It’s always been queer. It’s about breaking the rules. Sure, the mainstream face of drag is present, you’ve got RuPaul’s Drag Race and all that, but grassroots drag will always be about expression, humour and politics. That’s the bread and butter of it. Brighton’s amazing because it really nurtures that local drag scene. You can see a show almost any night of the week, often for free, and it’s always different.”
Representation, he adds, is vital. “If your audience can’t see themselves in what’s happening on stage, they’re not going to connect. It’s not hard to have a diverse line-up, these incredible performers are already out there. And it makes for a much more exciting show!”
Crowning glory
Each year, the Big Drag Pageant also offers a spectacular prize package. “It’s top secret,” Alfie teases, “but it’s over £2,000 worth of prizes again. Local businesses are so generous, last year we had everything from hotel stays and spa treatments to costume-making vouchers, plus £1,000 in cash and a gorgeous crown. It’s a proper royal treatment.”
Jack and the Beanstalk
From sequins to pantomime
This Christmas Alfie is starring in his first family pantomime: Jack and the Beanstalk at the DoubleTree by Hilton Brighton Metropole. “I’m playing Daisy the cow!” he laughs. “We’ve done the first script run-through and it’s got all the joy, silliness, daftness and heart – the perfect panto recipe. There’s an adults-only version alongside the family shows, if you want to be a big kid.”
Stream Feliz Navidad on all streaming platforms
Festive dreams
“This year two of my festive dreams are coming true. Not only did I get to switch on the Christmas lights, but I’m releasing a Christmas song! Me, Allan Jay and Ophelia Payne have put together a tasteful arrangement of our favourite hymn, ‘Feliz Navidad’! Think we’ll get to Christmas Number One?”
