Review: Buddies Beware

By Michael Block 

They'll always be Bosom Buddies. The pride of Rochester is alive on stage as RuPaul's Drag Race stars Darienne Lake and Mrs. Kasha Davis pair up for a hilarious evening at the Laurie Beechman Theatre.

photo by Michael Block

Making their way downstate to NYC, Darienne Lake and Mrs. Kasha Davis bring hilarity through song and tale in their newest duo show. Like Laurel and Hardy or Coke and Bacardi, this is a pair that just works. When it comes to comedy setup, Mrs. Kasha Davis tends to take on the "straight man" in the duo while Darienne is the slightly dumb and goofy one which allows her to get her jabs in at every chance. As we learn, their friendship plays a major factor in their ability to riff off of one another and ensure hilarity from top to bottom. With the obvious choice of the title song, the music selection stayed true to the showtune songbook. And these were all ditties that lived in their wheelhouse.  With Mrs. Kasha Davis taking on the emcee more so, Darienne got to showcase that sharp tongue we are used to seeing on that little show called Drag Race. If it felt familiar, this just happens to be her real life edit. Who doesn't love vicious insults from time to time? Rather than a specific story structure to guide the evening, Bosom Buddies tends to rely on a short anecdote that may have something to do with the song it leads into. With a cabaret like this, the lack of a concrete structure is fine as they were able to make the night flow. To prove their duo status, Kasha and Darienne were decked out in matching outfits, designed by Delta Work's husband! Looking like leftover material from "The Golden Girls" wallpaper, they played into the women of a certain age motif.
Bosom Buddies is a feel-good cabaret lead by two seasoned pros. If you strive for that nostalgic sense of performance, Mrs. Kasha Davis and Darienne Lake are certain to deliver. They stay in their wheelhouse for a night you won't want to miss.