Review: Sutton's Fabulous Drag Camp

By Michael Block

Oh the memories of summer camp. I actually never went so I'm going off of other people's memories. Anyway. As the season comes to a close, Sutton Lee Seymour celebrates the heat with her hot new show Camp Kween. Taking the audience through Kinky Boot camp, camp counselor Sutton Lee Seymour does what she does best: make ‘em laugh. Gracing the Laurie Beechman stage, Camp Kween has all the makings of a camp classic.

photo by Michael Block

Known for her flair and love for the Great White Way, Sutton Lee Seymour takes on summer camp in her latest show. Filled with lampoons of classic showtunes and pop hits, Camp Kween is drag comedy at its finest. Sutton Lee Seymour is a fast-talking diva that effortless takes control of the stage and her admirers. There are queens who stick to the lip sync or the flips and tricks in order to win a crowd. Sutton Lee Seymour doesn’t need that. She uses her gift of gab and her versatile voice to captivate. Her sidesplitting humor makes her a parody princess and a premiere queen of camp.  Her parody game is top-notch. Capturing the hilarity of gay culture, Sutton holds a mirror up while allowing the audience to laugh at just how ridiculous we can get. Just take her riff on “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” where she mocks those super-horny-really-boring-flakey-power bottoms in our life. Or even the newest take on the Tina Turner classic, “Scrolling on Grindr.” It’s easy to laugh at these numbers because they are painfully real. And that is how you do campy comedy. The conceit of the show is an introduction to this fabulous drag camp. It’s like a living information pamphlet. Late in the show, Sutton finds a willing victim to get a brief drag makeover, but the set up is established early on that you almost wish each number and beat was part of the transformation. Bringing in the audience member from the jump to be the guinea pig as the show journeys onward is the thread that can unite the night. Even if the person were a plant, it’s an exciting way to tie everything together. Sure, it may feel waver closer makeover than camp, it just takes a few tweaks to make it work. And she certainly has the ability to do that. She’s a seasoned at storytelling.
Sutton Lee Seymour is unapologetically hilarious and that’s what makes Camp Kween so fabulous. Having a thematic through line allows the show to be a singular event, something others have trouble capturing. This may feel like a seasonal show so hope that this camp is always in session.