The Lady Boys of Bangkok Are Returning to London for the First Time in a Decade

So the Lady Boys of Bangkok are finally coming back to London, and it’s been about ten years since they last played the city, which is mad when you think about how big the show has been at Edinburgh and Brighton pretty much every summer in between. The new show is called “Full Moon,” and it’s running at Shepherd’s Bush Green from 27 June to 12 July, inside that pink tent they take everywhere, the Sabai Pavilion, which has table seating and carpeting and bars inside rather than the usual theatre setup. Nine performers, four male dancers, a drag host, and apparently something like four hundred costume changes across the night.

Press night is 30 June if you’re the type who wants to catch it early.

What does it cost?

Ticket prices are split into show-only and meal-and-show, and there’s a midweek discount worth knowing about if you can do Tuesday or Wednesday night instead of Friday.

Show only:

• Top price — £56
• Second prize — £44
• Third prize — £30

Meal and show:

• Top price — £71
• Second prize — £59
• Third prize — £45

Sunday to Thursday discount (20% off show-only):

• Top — £44.80
• Second — £35.20
• Third — £24

The discount only works on show-only tickets, not the meal packages, so if you’re doing this on a budget, the midweek third price at twenty-four quid is the cheapest way in. The meal-and-show packages are decent value if you were going to eat out beforehand anyway, but if you just want the show, then show-only midweek is the move.

What’s the show actually like?

If you’ve caught any previous Lady Boys of Bangkok production at Edinburgh, Brighton, or anywhere on the touring circuit, you kind of know what you’re getting, and that’s not a criticism because what they do works. Pop hits, quick-change costume work that’s genuinely impressive when you see the speed of it, choreographed routines, comedy bits, audience interaction, and Thai-inspired cabaret running at a pace that doesn’t really slow down once it starts.

The “Full Moon” material is new for this tour, but the core formula hasn’t changed dramatically since the show first started touring back in 1998, and considering they’ve played to over a million people in that time, the formula clearly isn’t the problem. The cast is largely Thai, the costumes are ridiculous in the best possible way, and the whole thing is basically a party dressed up as a show or possibly a show dressed up as a party, depending on how many drinks you’re in by the interval.

Oak, the Thai Company Manager and one of the performers, full name Taweesak Samdangrit, has said that for the cast, the London run feels significant precisely because it’s been so long since they last played the city. For a lot of people who’ve only seen them at Edinburgh, seeing the show somewhere other than a festival context is apparently a different energy.

Where is it and how do you get there?

Shepherd’s Bush Green, W12 8QE. You genuinely cannot miss the tent; it’s pink. Shepherd’s Bush station on the Central line is the closest, and Shepherd’s Bush Market on the Hammersmith and City line is a couple of minutes’ walk too. If you’re driving, there’s metered parking on the surrounding streets, but it’s central London, so the tube is easier.

The rest of the tour, if you miss the London dates

London isn’t the only stop, and if you can’t make the Shepherd’s Bush run, there are dates through the whole summer:

• 24 June — Watford Palace Theatre.
• 27 June to 12 July — Shepherd’s Bush Green, London.
• 15 July — Key Theatre, Peterborough.
• 17 to 25 July — Bass Recreation Ground, Derby.
• 27 to 28 July — Tivoli Theatre, Aberdeen.
• 29 July — Webster Memorial Hall, Arbroath.
• 30 July — Alhambra Theatre, Dunfermline.
• 1 to 23 August — Festival Square, Edinburgh.

The Edinburgh run in August is where the show has its deepest history, and honestly, if you’ve never seen it and you happen to be up there for the Fringe anyway, that’s probably the best atmosphere you’ll get. But the London dates are rare enough that they’re worth grabbing if you can.