The discipline of ballet and the crassness of comedy don’t often intersect—but on stage at a Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo show, there’s as much satire as there is skill. This all-male ballet troupe was formed in a New York garage in 1974, when the group’s founders decided to parody the famous Russian group Ballets Russes, lacing up their ribbons for what they thought was a one-time gig. “This was the first time that the men went on pointe shoes and danced as females—as ballerinas,” says Svetlana Dvoretsky, president and executive producer of Show One Productions.

More than 40 years later, the Trocks are still pirouetting in pointe shoes (plus wigs, makeup and corsets, of course). Alumni include RuPaul’s Drag Race star and Canadian queen Brooke Lynn Hytes. The cast has changed, but the spirit hasn’t: it’s a joyful spectacle of artistry and humour. Take their stage names, for example: Maya Thickenthighya and Minnie Van Driver are a couple of standout all-stars you’ll have to see to believe. “Try to sit as close as possible to the stage,” hints Dvoretsky. Tuck in to this show—you’ll gasp, giggle and gag.

Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo

Date: February 1 2020
Venue: Queen Elizabeth Theatre
Price: From $25
showoneproductions.ca