This Tuesday I was kindly invited to attend the Gala performance of The Ladyboys of Bangkok in Manchester to witness their new show Glamorous Amorous . To say I was not quite sure what to expect would be an understatement - indeed, for those not in the know, there does seem to be quite some mystery as to what an event like this consists of. Gladly, I can report that he only thing obscene about the evening was the levels of fun to be had - a rip roaring night of high camp cabaret which seemed to tick many of the boxes of my very favourite things.

   Arriving in the tent with only enough time to treat myself to a Blue WKD from the bar, the table layout and pre-show mood of the event reminded me of going to watch darts - something I mean in the best possible way. Anticipation built as an introductory cover of Thin Lizzy blasted out on the sound system - rather winningly, the lyrics were changed with the word "boys" substituted for "lady boys" in a nod to the evening which was about to unfold before us. Recalling what took place, I'm still a combination of overwhelmed, overjoyed and, at points, downright baffled!

   Rather tellingly, I did not manage to take as many photographs as I would like as my hands were usually pre-occupied by either clapping along with the music or, more often than not, holding my jaw in place so it didn't hit the floor. I sat transfixed as the show (which took part in two segments with a brief interval) saw a selection of glamorous ladyboys, male dancers and a diminutive MC of sorts miming along to classic pop hits from throughout the years.

   I'm not ashamed to say I released an emasculated squeal as the Ladyboys appeared in the guise of Girls Aloud (they were perfect!), couldn't contain my glee during a one man turn cribbed from Mary Poppins (boasting a Jekyl and Hyde-esque performance as both Dick Van Dyke and Julie Andrews) and found myself unexpectedly rather touched by a wonderfully theatrical piece where, accompanied by Shirley Bassey's version of My Way, one of the performers began the song dressed in outlandish female clothing before slowly removing their make-up and changing into a much more sober male suit. Of all the things I did not expect, including one of the performers appearing dressed as Roy Chubby Brown and a performance of Santa and I Know It, this gently touching moment was perhaps the most surprising.

   Overall, the night whizzed by in a haze of high camp cabaret demolishing and surpassing any (incredibly high) expectations I may have had and left me giggling with glee. An incredible night of joy!

* I'd like to offer a big thanks to Gandey for inviting me to this wonderful evening!