The new burlesque spectacular takes inspiration from the much-loved world of Gavin & Stacey and gives it a very different kind of Barry Island treatment
This Christmas (December 16th – January 2nd 2027), Cabaret – Wales Millennium Centre’s in-house venue dedicated to cabaret, comedy, drag and live performance – is inviting audiences to swap the sofa for the stage as it unveils BARRYLESQUE: OH! IT’S A PARODY! – a riotous new production where Welsh comedy, drag, burlesque and cabaret collide.
Imagine the much-loved worlds of Barry Island and Billericay colliding in a glitter-drenched cabaret club. Familiar faces from both sides of the bridge become larger-than-life drag and burlesque performers, as seaside south Wales meets Essex glamour and the everyday chaos of family, friendship and relationships explodes into a night of sequins, satire, music and outrageous comedy.
Part cabaret, part sitcom and entirely tongue-in-cheek, Barrylesque is a loving parody inspired by the television series Gavin & Stacey.
Created by the team behind Cabaret at Wales Millennium Centre, the production brings together a cast and creative team of Welsh and Wales-based artists to create something that is unmistakably its own – a high-energy live show rooted in the traditions of drag, burlesque and cabaret, with a healthy dose of Welsh humour.
Audiences can expect drag, lip-sync, live vocals, musical mashups, burlesque, physical comedy, multimedia projections, audience interaction and a full-cast musical finale, in a show designed to be as much about the atmosphere and shared experience as what happens on stage.
When a relationship crisis brings the extended family together, the inhabitants of Barry Island take matters into their own hands, offering their own wildly inappropriate advice through musical numbers, comedy, burlesque and cabaret.
Expect larger-than-life family members, questionable relationship advice, diva behaviour, unexpected confessions and more than a little Barry Island bravado – from a local businessman determined to keep the crowd entertained, to an eccentric uncle offering heartfelt wisdom in the most unexpected way. As the evening unfolds, the family’s attempts to solve one very personal problem spiral into a gloriously chaotic celebration of love, lust, friendship and the wonderfully complicated business of being related.
Aled Lloyd Rees, Producer of Barrylesque and Cabaret Producer at Wales Millennium Centre, said:
“Barrylesque came from a desire to take something audiences already know and love and throw it into a completely different world. We wanted to make something that felt joyful, outrageous and unmistakably Welsh, while giving a brilliant group of Welsh and Wales-based artists the space to create, experiment and put their own stamp on it.
“That’s what makes Cabaret such an exciting place to work. It gives us the opportunity to develop original work at a different scale, champion artists and create shows that might start life in Cardiff but have the potential to travel much further. Barrylesque is a really exciting example of that, and if audiences take it to their hearts this Christmas, we’d love to explore taking it on tour around the UK in 2027.”
Graeme Farrow, Chief Creative Officer at Wales Millennium Centre, said:
“For us, creating new work is a really important part of what Wales Millennium Centre is about. We want to give Welsh and Wales-based artists the opportunity to develop their ideas, take creative risks and make work here in Wales that can go on to reach audiences further afield.
“That happens at all kinds of scales across the Centre, from major new theatrical productions to the work being developed in Cabaret, and Barrylesque is a brilliant example of that. It’s bold, playful and completely different from anything else we’re presenting, but it is also rooted in the talent, creativity and culture of Wales.”
Meet the Barrylesque cast
Behind the glitter are six performers taking on a very different interpretation of some very familiar characters.
The cast features Joe Crabbe/Jolene Dover (Nessa), Ren Simons/Justin Drag (Smithy), Steph Gawne/Foo Foo Labelle (Gwen and Doris), Eridan Octavius Pearce-Court/Matt Hazzard (Mick and Dave), Chloe Gale/Cadbury Parfait (Pam and Dawn), and Zaki Musa (Bryn and Pete).
The production deliberately reimagines the characters through the worlds of drag, burlesque and cabaret, with performers bringing their own styles and personalities to the roles rather than attempting to recreate the original television performances.
The creative team
The creative team is led by Director Luke Hereford, with Aled Lloyd Rees as Producer, JD Young aka Carrot as Co-creator and Audio/Visual Designer, and Mel Owen as Co-creator and Comedy Writer.
The team also includes Production Manager Tom Naylor, Set and Costume Designer Brad Caleb Lee and LX Designer Jay Shewry.
Barrylesque brings together artists working across comedy, theatre, drag, cabaret and queer performance. JD Young, who performs as drag artist Carrot, has developed and performed original cabaret nationally, while Aberystwyth-born comedian and writer Mel Owen has written for Netflix, Channel 4, BBC Radio 4 and BBC One.
Whether audiences come for the sitcom nostalgia, the drag, the burlesque, the comedy or simply the promise of a gloriously chaotic Christmas night out, Barrylesque is ready to welcome them to Barry Island – just not quite as they remember it.
Barrylesque: OH! It’s a Parody! runs at Cabaret, Wales Millennium Centre, from December 16th 2026 – January 2nd 2027. It will be presented in the Weston Studio.
To book tickets: www.wmc.org.uk/en/whats-on/2026/barrylesque
