Pearle Harbour enlivens
Centaur Wildside Festival

Talented drag queen wows audience at Théâtre La Chapelle

By Byron Toben

February 22, 2024

This year’s annual Centaur Theatre Wildside Festival was jointly presented at the Centaur Theatre and the Théâtre La Chapelle. I was able to view one show at La Chapelle featuring Toronto-based performer Pearle Harbour. This talented performer with the obviously catchy stage name has little to do with the Hawaiian port upon which the Japanese 1941 attack triggered the United States’ entry into World War II.

Rather, he/she is a drag queen who sings and jokes with audience involvement as he/she performs accompanied only by a musician alternating on guitar, banjo and drums.

The show is billed as “Agit Pop” in which agitation is blended with some popular songs rather than propaganda, which is deemed “Agit Prop.”

[Pearle Harbour] is a drag queen who sings and jokes with audience involvement as he/she performs accompanied only by a musician alternating on guitar, banjo and drums.

A Judy Garland song was one selection I remember. A “wave” involving audience left versus audience right was well received. As with many stand-up performers, there were many urgings to the assemblage to cheer more loudly, which they did.

“Merch” was available to fans afterward.

Feature image: Tanja Tiziana

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Byron Toben, a past president of The Montreal Press Club, has been WestmountMag.ca’s theatre reviewer since July 2015. Previously, he wrote for since terminated websites Rover Arts and Charlebois Post, print weekly The Downtowner, and print monthly The Senior Times. He also is an expert consultant on U.S. work permits for Canadians.