It has long been rumoured that the ADC Theatre is haunted. I didn’t believe this until I sat in the auditorium last night with China Anne McClain’s ‘Calling All The Monsters’ blaring around me, conjuring up ghosts from my childhood. Such an introduction set the tone of Dragtime!’s Haunted Haus which is currently performing at ADC and is a must-see this Halloween season.

Dragtime!’s cast of “kings, queens and in-betweens” transform the ADC stage into one of Dante’s circles of hell, complete with excessive amounts of smoke, a dance pole hidden in the corner of the stage begging to be used, and bodies covered in ‘666’ drawings.

A pole-dancing pumpkin – Nia Griffith’s ‘Pump King’ – was the standout of the show not least for their commitment to a massive pumpkin mask, but for doing an entire pole routine flawlessly in 8-inch pleaser heels.

Hosts, Polonia Kowalski and Charlene Collins, united the individual acts, making dry quips at one another and commanding audience engagement between each piece. They skilfully styled out delays between performances with charm, wit and a natural fluidity that eased both cast and audience alike into the show. Kowalski’s rendition of Taylor Swift’s ‘I Did Something Bad’ was truly one of the spookiest acts of the night, eliciting screams of pure terror at the sight of a rogue Swiftie dancing in a “kill all men” t-shirt.

The show both opened and closed with a group dance number. Although entertaining and spooky as performers crawled into the audience, it was one of the show’s weakest moments. This is purely because the relatively simple choreography failed to showcase the strengths of each performer that became apparent throughout the rest of the show.

Prince Charles’ (Charley Ipsen) rendition of Tom Lehrer’s ‘Masochism Tango’, complete with whips and chains (!!), was one of the best lip-sync performances of the night. Similarly, Beelzechub’s (Jula Biard) play on Roy Buchanan’s ‘I’m Evil’ was an audience favourite, making particularly frightening references to not going to lectures.

Iconic song choices from sound designer Artemis Lyones, ranging from MARINA’s ‘Primadonna Girl’, Kesha’s ‘Cannibal’ and glimmerings of Florence and the Machine, guaranteed that the boisterous audience was engaged from the very beginning.

Justa Knight (August Ashworth) provided one of the most poignant performances of the night. Introduced to the audience by Polonia with the question “what’s scarier to a queer than a discussion of religion,” their performance provided a moment of sincerity amongst the chaos of the show. Holding a transgender flag with “Jesus was the first trans” written on it, Knight commanded the attention of the entire theatre. Following the act, Host Charlene’s sincere words on transgender rights in Cambridge were particularly pertinent in the wake of the current Helen Joyce controversy at Gonville and Caius College.

Beyond the “flying wigs, demon twinks, and razor-sharp nails” that Dragtime! advertising promised, the show was imbued with a genuine display of individuality and an authentic celebration of LGBTQ+ culture.