Review: Kiki Ball-Change Captures Hearts With MY FUNNY VALENTINE at The Green Room 42

Drag artiste Kiki Ball-Change appeared at The Green Room 42 on February 12th in a seasonal show titled MY FUNNY VALENTINE, and although she spoke often, throughout the evening, of the pitfalls of love, of being open for dating, and of being single, there was no actual lack of love for the statuesque star, so pretty in pink in honor of the holiday of love. Indeed, there was a nearly full house of fans, family, and friends, all of whom had an obvious adoration for the Lady who announced that she is known as "The Broadway Bimbo of NYC." Like many ladies before her, Kiki Ball-Change may be leaning into the moniker, but there is evidence on hand to prove that this is a bimbo. Contrary-wise, Kiki is one smart cookie.

In her Valentine cabaret act, Kiki Ball-Change demonstrated a wealth of wisdom regarding her award-winning cabaret aesthetic. She arrived with a theme, she prepared a script, she curated a fine selection of musical material, she (in true and blessed drag tradition) fashioned parody lyrics to some of her famous compositions, and she sang every single number with the proficiency of an attendee of drama camp, a college Drama Department graduate, and a meticulously mentored musical theater performer. The Lady's got the goods... but not just with the belting and the crooning, for her drag style is equally studied and hand-crafted to give her the unique and individual quality that every drag artist seeks to create, the quality that will make them stand out from the rest. Kiki stands out from the rest... she also stands taller than the rest, something that she used to her comedic advantage by wearing the tallest heels on earth, teasing her hair to the greatest height possible for the venue door frames, and inviting guest artists of a more, shall we say, slight frame to share the stage with her, to great effect, both humorously and musically.

Using a setlist comprised of mostly musical theater offerings, Kiki made fun of Valentine's Day, the lovers of the world, the men of her acquaintance, and herself, but it wasn't all about the humor, for Kiki gave her crowd glimpses into her optimistic side with a straight forward rendition of "I Believe In Love" from Hair (which she, hilariously, started over twice, after forgetting the lyrics), and it wasn't all musical theater, as the Lady acquitted herself quite nicely with the Carole King pop song "I Feel The Earth Move" - a surprising highlight of the evening. But there is no denying that Kiki Ball-Change lives, really lives, in the comedy and the Broadway. This is where she means to shine. Her parody versions of "I Hate Men" from Kiss Me Kate and "He's A Tramp" from the movie musical Lady and the Tramp were well-scripted, wonderfully funny, and appropriately filthy (this is, after all, a drag show). Conversely, Kiki's completely straight renditions of "Gimme, Gimme" from Thoroughly Modern Millie and "My Funny Valentine" from Babes in Arms were evening highlights, especially when the latter was melded into a medley with "La Vie En Rose" (in the original French, thank you very much). It is through these traditional performances of these classic Broadway compositions that Kiki Ball-Change makes more impressive the parody work, the drag comedy, and the creation of her signature game Drag Libs (Drag Libs was, alone, worth the night out). Her diversity as a performer was greatly appreciated and enjoyable, quite enough to make a newcomer to her artistry an instant fan.

In spite of all the praiseworthy aspects to the show My Funny Valentine, there were a couple of speed bumps in the road to success for Kiki Ball-Change on the night in question, not the least of which was the ever-present crutch of a script that she kept between herself and her audience. No mere case of having a cheat sheet nearby was this - Kiki actively stood on the stage and read most of the spoken portion of her show from the choir binder resting on the music stand before her, creating an actual wall between her good self and her audience. That wall costs every artist a certain degree of connection, and although Kiki's presence is powerful enough to get past that hindrance, this writer would offer the Lady that she is too good for the music stand. Kiki Ball-Change is too talented to need that script. She is too interesting to get lost behind that music stand. And she is too beautiful to be hidden by anything that would block her audience from seeing her in all her glory. Interestingly, Kiki knew all the words to her songs, just not the words to her script. Factually, though, Kiki doesn't need to rely on the script - she is a natural-born orator and a funny lady. If Kiki Ball-Change were to write her script, memorize her script, and throw out her script, she would be free to stamp about the entire venue like Bette Davis, showering the crowd with every luscious barb and dirty joke she can muster, free to share her fabulosity, without that icky wall between them.

The other observation this writer would like to make is that this production could be renamed and re-played. It may have been a Valentine's show, but this musical cabaret was too much fun to play only once and then put it away. Kiki could re-title the show "I Believe In Love," after her opening number, and perform it over and over - however, one might offer that the lady should sit down with a script doctor or director to tighten up the book of her play, which sometimes gets repetitive and maybe even a little bitter, on the topic of gay men who have done her wrong. Just a little trip back to the drawing board could freshen it up so that there might be more of the optimism that was seen in Kiki's curtain call speech, a moment when the singing actor let the curtain fall and spoke to the audience as friends. Praising the people who had been there for her, naming those who offered her spiritual support, discussing those who made her understand love, Kiki showed her heart. She spoke of the beauty of doing drag and the healing properties to be found in her art form, she waxed poetic on the subjects of joy and happiness, and she made everyone cry a little. But this was a drag show, and feelings have to be kept to a minimum, while comedy is kept to a maximum, so she got the vulnerable stuff out and kept on going, the way a good drag star does... but she did let the people in, and that goes a long way toward making a person fall in love with an artist.

The other thing that makes a person fall in love with an artist is the artistry itself, and Kiki's artistry as a drag performer, as an actor, and as a duet partner was showing all night long. The comedy bits, the right and proper musical performances, and two remarkable duets with Danny Quadrino and Castrata were enough to show anyone just why Kiki Ball-Change is an award winner, why she is constantly working, and why her popularity is so prevalent.

Kiki Ball-Change may be flying solo in the romance department right now, but she, most definitely, has a lot of Valentines who absolutely adore her, all year long, and well they should.

Find great shows to see on the Green Room 42 website HERE.

Visit the Kiki Ball-Change website HERE.

Photos by Stephen Mosher; Visit the Stephen Mosher website HERE.

The MY FUNNY VALENTINE band was Meghan Doyle on guitar, Nicholas Urbanic on drums, and Musical Director Jack Coen on piano.

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