When I was single, I used to write about all my juicy, crazy, unbelievable dating experiences and antics on LiveJournal. It was just so great to be able to share my stories. Adore Händel’s romantic romps are documented in quite a similar fashion. She’s an 18th century time-travelling love-sick songstress, and every romantic or sexual encounter that she’s ever had, she written about it in her (not so) little black book.
Adore may have skipped the time where LiveJournal and Tumblr were all the craze, but never fear, she can still recite her stories from her love diary with much enthusiasm and song, and she’s pulling it out just for you.
Adore Händel is the drag creation and brainchild of writer, actor, operatic and classical singer, and musical comedian, Luke Belle. A drag queen in the daytime? Well, how about throughout time!
Although it’s never really explained how exactly Adore travels through time, nor how we’ve come to be a part of her gossiping storytime session, one can understand that her style of time travelling sadly doesn’t allow for Adore to bring a love interest on the journey with her. Naturally instead, Adore has many lovers throughout different countries, years, centuries and postcodes, travelling back and forth to be with them.
Even so, travelling any road on your own may get lonely, so it feels special to be in the room with her, and the feeling is mutual. These love tales may have been around for ‘a long time’, but they’re fresh to us and Adore is super excited to be sharing them, as if it’s the first time she’s spilling the tea.
Adorned in a gorgeous tall and curly white wig, reminiscent of the era that she’s originally from. Along with a pink and gold accented period costume that is stunningly detailed right down to her toes. Plus, her face painted in white powder with pink blush and lips. This wonderful vision can only accurately be defined as ‘lavish finesse’. The attention to detail, even with her props, is insane in the most minimalistic fashion but still worth praising (yes, even the wax stamp on a love letter).
Adore isn’t all beauty and looks though, she sounds magnificent as well. Since Belle is classically and operatically trained, so is Adore, and she sounds like a dream. Adore sure knows how to work a crowd too, not only playing to the front row of the fairytale themed Storyville Melbourne theatrette (conveniently filled with giant books – perhaps past volumes of Adore’s love stories), but she also frequents up and down the aisles of the intimate venue space to ensure that every patron within her reach receives a little bit of her love and affection, or sometimes her wit and sass.
Adore isn’t alone in the storytelling session, conveniently there’s a 70s rotary dial phone available that she uses to speak to her helper Peter at any given moment. Sometimes Peter calls Adore, sometimes Adore rings Peter. The character, who we never see and only hear about through phone call rings and Adore’s commentary, is cleverly designed to create more of an amusing atmosphere, carefully constructed to push the show along. It may seem quite jarring at first, but it works.
You don’t have to recognise the origin of the songs Adore sings as they’ve been reimagined to play to Adore’s mystique narrative. Adore Händel’s Little Black Book is an intelligent fantasy cabaret at heart, and Bell’s Adore sings original songs, musical songs, and reimagined pop songs to tell of her romantic and sexual escapades. I almost didn’t even recognise 90s pop tune, Jennifer Paige’s ‘Crush’ by how different it sounded with an 18th-century classical spin on it. Quite brilliant, actually.
Formidable, fabulous and fearless, Luke Belle, through their sweet and spicy drag persona that you can’t help but adore, has artfully reinvented drag queen storytime. Adore Händel’s Little Black Book is smart, it’s funny, the love stories are intricate, and the vocals are sublime.
P.S.: I respond to the name of ‘Gladis’ now.
Adore Händel’s Little Black Book is currently playing at Storyville Melbourne on Saturdays and Sundays at a friendly time of 3pm, as part of the 2025 Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
For more information and ticketing, visit:
https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/browse-shows/adore-haendel-s-little-black-book
https://www.instagram.com/adorehandel
https://lukebelle.com
Photography supplied.