‘M.O.W.W.’ is The Cat’s Meow for Fans of Fringe and Drag
Hillary Yaas’ M.O.W.W. (Miserable Old White Women) is an excellent example of the longstanding adage that drag fans and theatre fans are two sides of the same coin. What better way to bring together both crowds and leave room for more exposure than at this year’s Theatre Kingston Fringe Festival?
Opening with a campy, hilarious lip sync number filled with her hottest of takes, Yaas takes the stage with immense energy from the beginning and draws laughs from the audience. As she prances across the stage and directs her attention towards the crowd, her lip sync transforms into a live parody performance of an iconic Broadway M.O.W.W. song—no spoilers!—that any theatre lover will cackle at. I certainly did.
The bulk of the performance revolves around Yaas’ impressionistic skill. After asking an audience member to shuffle a stack of cue cards for her, she picks one by one, rifling through a wide range of comedic impressions. Every miserable old white woman one might think of is present; from Hollywood and Broadway legends to cartoons and Star Trek, there is something for everyone. Yaas’s style is campy and fun, and she spices up some of her mimicry by pulling from a basket of props, changing her outfits, and pulling audience members onstage with her to roaring laughter from the crowd. A few portions include raunchier themes—without giving away too much, know that Yaas is a hilarious puppeteer.
Although I thoroughly enjoyed the show, I would have loved to see this performance in a more informal space rather than the Rehearsal Hall. The atmosphere of a standard theatre space combined with this performance’s lighting seemed to inhibit audience responses. However, the crowd relaxed into the performance as it progressed, helping Yaas summon the M.O.W.W. (miserable old white women) with gusto and cheering and hollering for each song.
Moreover, the show’s sound design was unclear at times, where the background music overlapped in strange ways with Yaas’ microphone. This created some auditory confusion for the audience, particularly in the opening number. All was well after the opening, as the various layers of sound went mostly unused for the remainder of the show.
All in all, M.O.W.W. is an upbeat, hilarious addition to the festival. A stellar way to remind audiences that drag and theatre are truly cut from the same cloth, the performance declares campy celebrations should never be missed.
‘M.O.W.W.’ runs until August 16th at the Tett Centre as part of the 2026 TK Fringe Festival. For tickets and more information, click here.
