Drag king, comedian, actor & writer Daisy Doris May offers three acts for the price of one in Big Night Out, showing at Birmingham’s Glee Club on Wednesday 5 November. After causing a stir on TikTok and Instagram, Daisy is now on the road with three hit characters in tow - wannabe ladies’ man Steve Porters, PVC-clad Techno kid HÄNS OFF and yogi The Divine Karen Moonstone. What’s On caught up with Daisy to find out more...

Big Night Out brings three characters together on stage for the first time. For those who don’t know, can you give us a mini introduction to Steve Porters, HÄNS OFF and The Divine Karen Moonstone?

iPod DJ Steve Porters is your Guildfordian ladies’ man, who still lives with his mum, Rozza. He’s convinced he’s the next big feminist icon, but is still figuring out what that actually means… A walking red flag with a heart of gold.
HÄNS OFF is ze kookiest Berlin KlubKid around [born in ze Berghain cloakroom queue…] on every guest list that ever existed. HÄNS invented FASHUN bish… and will be hosting ze after after after party: TechNO. Tech-YES.
And lastly, The Divine Karen Moonstone is that white woman you meet on a plane home from Bali who tells you she’s ‘impacted the yoga world’. This self-appointed guru most certainly needs anger management.
Each one is a total nightmare in their own special way… and I adore them.

What are the challenges when performing a show where you have to swap between characters?

From goatee stamps, to tear-away costumes, to filling the stage with drama when I'm on it - I’ve been experimenting with it all.
Sometimes I’ll come off stage and realise I painted my beard on so wonky, it looks UNHINGED! But what can you do when you're drawing it in under 10 seconds!

How quick are the costume changes? Have you honed your quick-change skills?

Both changes are around one-and-a-half minutes. Sometimes I think the scene changes off-stage are the real show, especially as I have to speak in character off-stage while I'm getting changed… 
Big Night Out has had a stint at the Edinburgh Fringe - did the show change or develop throughout the run?
The joy of Edinburgh is that you go with one show, and then you leave with an entirely different beast! It’s epic for that reason. Relentless - but epic.
Was there a specific act or performance that inspired you to get involved in drag?
I stumbled into a drag king show at She Soho on my own one evening, and it blew my little pea brain. I met my drag uncle, Frankie Sinatra, and after that became a total nerd researching the history of Kings.
As a character comedian, I was hugely inspired by Smack The Pony. It taught me that embracing your weirdness was cool. 

Who was the first drag king persona you brought to the stage?

My first five minutes was at the iconic venue of the Royal Vauxhall Tavern. Steve Porters came to life - I was terrified! That year, I wrote his TED Talk parody - How To Flirt: The TED XXX Talk - and started HÄUS OF DONS to platform drag kings and put us in the spotlight.
Do you create all of your costumes yourself, or do you collaborate with other people to find the perfect look?
Sadly for me, I ain’t making my own looks. Ryan Munroe - whose brand is ByMarlon - creates a lot of HÄNS looks. He up-cycles everything, and what he pulls together is genius.
Bow Face is one of my favourite make-up artists out there. We will often brainstorm over getting my hair done. Bow actually created the famous goatee stamp I speak of!
 
Why have you explored performing as multiple characters, rather than creating a single identity?

Ummm… Are you my therapist? It's a great question. Essentially, I have an obsession with accents, voices, different physicalities, different styles of dance and movement. Why would I just be one when I can keep creating new alter egos on a daily?! 
Warning: I’ve got a lot of personalities in the tank. Watch this space…

And if you had to pick just one of your characters, who would you choose?

Me. I asked someone last year what their favourite character was, and they were kind enough to say me… It's the most fun one.
Ironically I get way more nervous in gigs where I have to be just me!
Sometimes HÄNS' PVC or Steve's LYNX Africa give me an extra layer of confidence - I would never leave the house in what HÄNS wears, but somehow I feel invincible as him! But I've been challenging myself to show snippets of me on stage. After the show you can tell me where you saw moments of me!

How do drag king performances give us an insight into our society?

Drag kings can hold up a mirror to masculinity in the funniest, most joyful way. We exaggerate it, tease it, twist it. You start to see how absurd gender performance really is…
But more than anything, it’s freedom. Drag gives people permission to question the rules and laugh as we do it.
 
What would you like people to take away with them after Big Night Out?

The audience are often the stars of the night, so I want everyone to feel that we made that mayhem together. No show is ever the same.
I want people to feel that magic walking away. 

Are plans brewing for future shows?

Well, this year I’ve done the Australian circuit, London shows, Edinburgh Fringe, and a UK tour - and next month I’m doing comedy in South Africa…
So next year I'm excited to get stuck into more writing projects that I've been cooking up. The next show, I might have to squeeze a few more characters in there - what do you reckon? 

Daisy Doris May's Big Night Out visits Birmingham’s Glee Club on Wednesday 5 November. Tickets are available from DAISYDORISMAY.COM