Recently Strawberry Fields and I had the pleasure of seeing New York City drag queen Cacophony Daniels in her show Under the C at the Fresh Fruit Festival. As we were both Cacophony virgins, neither of us knew quite what to expect from the show which was a tribute to beloved composer Howard Ashman. We were not prepared for the vocal journey that Cacophony took us on.
Not to blow up her set list because this is a show you should most definitely see when it comes back again, but Cacophony did a masterful job weaving Howard’s music and the story of his life into a parallel story about her own life. The show is packed to the gills with laughs but also packs an emotional punch at times as well (Cut to a clip of Strawberry crying during Sheridan Square), all while managing to showcase Cacophony’s powerhouse voice. All of the beloved Disney and Broadway classics are in the show, many with Cacophony’s own unique spin on them, which deftly manages to enhance the story of the show without undercutting the beauty of the original song.
Long story short, this show is most definitely ready for prime time and the powers that be at the various venues throughout the city, such as the Laurie Beechman Theatre and 54 Below would be advised to welcome Under the C on to their schedules. In the meantime, if you want more Cacophony Daniels, she can be seen alongside our friend Sutton Lee Seymour at Hardware Bar for Broadway Mondays and you can keep tabs on her across the interwebs on various social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter)!
If you want even more Cacophony, please check out the latest edition of Backstage ‘Berry!
Note: We are still experiencing some technical issues so if you’re watching this video on your phone, you will need to plug in your headphones to hear the audio properly. Sorry for the inconvenience.
