MAISIE 15
★★☆☆☆ OUT 5 AUGUST CINEMAS
“He’s a drag queen, I’m.” The unquestionable highlight of Lee Cooper’s affectionate but uneven documentary comes early, as David Raven, aka doyenne of the famous Brighton cabaret scene Maisie Trollette, bristles at a message from his US counterpart, Darcelle XV. A culture-clash meeting between the two veterans delivers a few awkward laughs, while a poignant climactic performance may draw a tear or two. Yet if Cooper’s portrait of Raven’s home life is authentically unglamorous, these meandering, uneventful scenes in between are, alas, a bit of a drag.
