It can be difficult to stand out from the many talented drag performers at this year’s Fringe. From local Edinburgh acts like Alice Rabbit, to international talent and fan favourites from RuPaul’s Drag Race the Fringe has a lot to offer to fans of the art form. However, it is Bailey J Mills: Unfiltered and Scummy, only at the Fringe for two nights, which must be spotlighted. At their Fringe debut, Mills loyally delivers their absurd British-inspired trademark humour with the stage presence of a rising star.
While I only knew Bailey J Mills from their viral TikToks, it quickly became clear that Mills is a skilled and experienced live entertainer. Mills opened the show with some singing not as a character but as themself, commanding and interacting with the crowd with ease. No nerves from Mills on opening night as joke after joke landed and the audience relaxed in the safe hands of a seasoned pro [settled in for the ride].
Unfiltered and Scummy boasted a variety of performance such as the aforementioned singing, lip-syncing, improv, crowd interaction, and costume changes between each section of the show. The show was a clever integration of live performances and pre-recorded sketches in which Mills revisited old characters and introduced a host of new memorable ones. While there’s a little more production to these videos than their TikToks, Mills has kept the cheap comedic costumes and everyday settings that have become a part of their brand. While the switch between recorded and live performance was seamless, I would have liked to have seen more of Mills live. Their charisma, raw talent, and comedic idiosyncrasy’s, such as their false teeth falling out, were even funnier live than on video.
This being said, the pre-recorded sketches did not take away from Mills’ presence throughout the show or undermine their clear jurisdiction on and off stage. In a previous interview with Dazed, Mills talked about staying true to themself, saying their drag is “100 percent me,” always “[going] for the weird” and representing the misfits. The result: a completely original drag show from a performer with a strong sense of self.
Mills’ brand of comedy is admittedly not for everyone, but if you give it a go, you’ll get to watch a wholly original and class drag performer on their way to the top. You may very well become a part of the growing fanbase hungry for more of Mill’s unique brand of absurdist British comedy. For those who are already a part of Mills’ online fanbase, you’ll be thrilled at the new heights Mills can take their comedy to. And like me, you’ll leave the show a bigger fan of theirs than when you arrived.
Fringe 2023: Bailey J Mills: Unfiltered + Scummy is on at Gilded Ballon Teviot – Debating Hall at 8:30pm on 11 August only. Tickets are available here: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/bailey-j-mills-unfiltered-scummy.
Image provided to The Student as press material.