Drag superstar Velma Celli opens monthly cabaret night in City Screen's Basement

Velma, the singing starlet alter-ego of York-born actor Ian Stroughair, will play host to a monthly high-class cabaret night packed with songs, stories and celebrity impressions.

“I started my performing career in York, so it's very exciting to have a regular slot to showcase some of my most popular songs, and try out new material to a friendly local audience,” explains Ian, who has appeared in such musicals as Cats, Fame, Chicago and Rent.

“Every cabaret night will be different, so I’m hoping to build the similar kind of loyal following in York as I’ve been fortunate to have in my London residencies at Café de Paris and the Hippodrome Casino, while providing an one-off elegant evening extravaganza for visitors to the city too.”

For The Velma Celli Show, The Basement will be laid out in show-lounge configuration, wherein the audience is encouraged to relax in small groups around tables to enjoy the entertainment. Velma’s – or rather Stroughair’s – singing prowess is such that "it will be easy to forget that the performance is by a female impersonator, interspersed with conversation, humour and subtle double-entendre," he promises.

“This isn’t a bawdy show for hen parties to screech at – anyone who has had too many Lambrinis will be turned away – but instead it will be a great night with stunning tunes from stage and screen performed with every last bit of sparkle you’d expect from a West End leading lady.”

Ian conjured his Velma Celli alter-ego seven years ago as a portal for singing the strong female-led songs he loved from the musicals he starred in. Subsequently, he has created musical extravaganzas for Velma's character, most notably Iconic: A Brief History Of Drag, where Velma performed songs with links to drag culture across film, stage and popular culture to five-star reviews at the St James Theatre in London.

His repertoire stretches from Shirley Bassey to Beyoncé, and the occasional diva impersonation of Britney Spears and Cher too, so even Velma Celli devotees could be surprised by the choice of songs planned across the Basement performances. “Obviously my repertoire is ever changing, but for the first show I'll do excerpts from my show Iconic. I’m hoping that some of the audience will suggest songs that they’d like to hear at the next show, too, to make the show even more dynamic and appealing,” he says.

The Basement suggested Ian should do a monthly residency after last autumn's Velma Celli show sold out. "It had taken me a while to find the right venue for this kind of show in York, but with a lick of paint and cloths on tables, it should be perfect!" he says.

York singer Jessica Steel, Velma Celli's guest on Saturday. Picture: David Harrison

"So we're kicking off this weekend with Velma and my special guest Jessica Steel, the York singer. We went to school together at Oaklands School, though we haven't seen each other since we left.

"She was in the year above me – she was in my sister's year – and I did my very first play, Daisy Pulls It Off, with her when I played Mr Scoblowski and she played Trixie Martin. She has a cracking voice, and though our paths haven't crossed since then, apart from online, I wanted to start the cabaret nights with someone I knew, even though I haven't seen Jessica for 20 years!"

Further shows are booked for April 8 and May 13, with the line-ups still to be confirmed, although Kiki DeVille, an "amazing Australian burlesque singer who now lives in North Yorkshire", is pencilled in for the April night.

"Each show will be different, with the idea being to encourage people to come back to see something different each time," says Ian. "The most important thing I want to stress is it isn't a drag show, it's a cabaret show," says Ian.

Away from his Velma Celli and musical commitments, Ian teaches dance classes at the Pineapple Studios in London and is a regular on the pantomime circuit, last winter playing Dandini in Cinderella alongside Jonny Wilkes at the Regent Theatre in Stoke-on-Trent. Dandini, note, rather than an Ugly Sister or a dame in other pantos. "No! I can't spend all my year on stage as a woman!" he reasons.

The Velmi Celli Show, with special guest Jessica Steel, at The Basement, City Screen, York, Saturday, March 11, 8pm. Tickets cost £15 online at thebasementyork.co.uk or on the door from 7.30pm. For updates on more performances, follow @ianstroughair1 or @velmacelli on Twitter.

Did you know?

Ian Stroughair's Velma Celli has fronted a British commercial campaign for McDonalds and starred opposite Danny Dyer in the short film/music video Nebraska for recording artist Lucy Rose. Velma also made her silver-screen debut last autumn in the feature film Night Of The Lotus and previously appeared in an episode of EastEnders, "bursting through the doors of the Queen Vic in her rather epic and belty guest cameo".

Ian will take Velma Celli's show Iconic: A Brief History Of Drag to this summer's Edinburgh Fringe.