Short-lived countercultural performance troupe The Cockettes are the subject of new musical Midnight at the Palace, which arrives at the Gilded Balloon’s Patter Hoose this Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Directed and choreographed by Paul McGill, this punchy glimpse into the troupe’s story captures their countercultural magic, dynamic energy and flamboyance. However, the production feels ripe for expansion.
Rae Binstock provides the book for Midnight at the Palace, telling the story of the psychedelic, gender-bending transgressives who made up the San Francisco-based troupe. The show explores their initial success and offers a vivid snapshot of their style and radical politics. The group are soon invited to perform in New York, leading to rising tensions among troupe leader Hibiscus, future disco icon Sylvester and other ensemble members.
Adored by cultural icons such as John Waters, Divine and Andy Warhol, The Cockettes’ legacy was explored in the acclaimed 2002 indie documentary by Bill Weber and David Weissman. Binstock’s carefully structured musical now presents a theatrical version that serves as a kind of greatest hits compilation for the avant-garde group.
Condensed into one hour, Midnight at the Palace follows Midwesterner Pam (Baylie Carson), who arrives in San Francisco and is welcomed by the travelling Hibiscus into The Cockettes. The show touches on the political and social landscape of late-1960s America, referencing Flower Power protests, the Free Love movement, the troupe’s most infamous shows (Les Ghouls, Journey to the Centre of Uranus), and their ill-fated trip to New York. While this condensed version covers plenty of ground for a festival performance, an expanded adaptation would benefit from greater focus on character development and the internal tensions sparked by the New York engagement.
Midnight at the Palace keeps energy high, thanks to Brandon James Gwinn’s raucous music and lyrics, which capture the wild and unrestrained madness of the troupe. The talented cast perform with passion and vitality, bursting across a patchwork-style stage filled with mismatched, hand-crafted props and dazzling costumes that reflect the countercultural spirit of the era. Max Allen and Elliott Adcock’s stage design embodies the crafty, offbeat aesthetic of The Cockettes and provides a fitting backdrop for the story to unfold.
Musical highlights include Gregory Haney’s Sylvester delivering There’s a Lady on the Stage, which sounds like a lost Tina Turner banger, and Andrew Horton’s scene-stealing performance as Hibiscus in A Crab on Uranus Means You’re Loved, complete with a glittered crab costume, of course!
Midnight at the Palace soars with euphoric joy and plays like a heartfelt tribute to The Cockettes. With musical numbers that embrace the madness and camp of the troupe, and a truly charismatic cast, you will be wanting to stay at the palace long past midnight.
Midnight at the Palace runs until August 24 at Gilded Balloon’s Patter Hoose. Tickets are available here.
Photo: Damian Robertson
