Panti
Encyclopedia
Panti is a drag queen
character performed by Rory O'Neill (born 1968), originally from Ballinrobe
, County Mayo
, Ireland
.
pageant. Panti spent several years in Tokyo, (performing as part of double act called CANDIPANTI), she returned to Ireland in 1995. Her alter-ego Rory O'Neill co-created (together with Niall Sweeney, Tonie Walsh
and Trish Brennan) several popular transgressive performance based club nights - GAG, POWDERBUBBLE and H.A.M., in turn spawning sister clubs such as GRISTLE. Panti was the main host of these club nights.
Panti regularly hosts the annual Dublin Pride celebrations.
For a number of years Panti hosted a weekly karaoke show, The Casting Couch, at The Front Lounge pub, Dublin. She occasionally appears at Shirley Temple Bar
's weekly drag queen Bingo show in Dublin's best known gay bar, The George
.
On November 30, 2007, she opened her own self-titled 'Pantibar', for the gay community in Dublin.
by Dolly Parton
or And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going
by Jennifer Holliday
but also lip-synching to instrumental songs like, Popcorn (instrumental)
or operatic numbers, such as Der Hölle Rache by Mozart. In recent years, Panti began to lip-synch reenactments of excerpts from British TV soap operas, such as Eastenders
and Coronation Street
or classic films, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (film)
. Her comic style and on-stage banter is a mix of self-deprecation and self-admiration, while teasing her audience with ongoing commentary on anything from their appearance to their sexuality.
Recent highlights for native audiences have included lip-synching of Adele King
's (Twink) infamous phone message to her to ex-husband and a parody version of the song 'He Drinks Tequila' by Crystal Swing
.
's, The Maids
. (2005)
In These Shoes? written and performed by Panti (2007)
All Dolled Up written and performed by Panti (2007)
A Woman In Progress written and performed by Panti (2009)
talk show in the US. (1999)
Panti played a fictional drag queen character called 'Dusty Mulberry' in episode 10, season six of the Irish medical drama series The Clinic (TV series)
(2008)
Played herself as the hostess/owner of gay bar in episode four of Irish drama series Raw (television series)
(2008)
Panti danced on stage in Japan with Cyndi Lauper during her 1994 Twelve Deadly Cyns Tour
Drag queen
A drag queen is a man who dresses, and usually acts, like a caricature woman often for the purpose of entertaining. There are many kinds of drag artists and they vary greatly, from professionals who have starred in films to people who just try it once. Drag queens also vary by class and culture and...
character performed by Rory O'Neill (born 1968), originally from Ballinrobe
Ballinrobe
-Early history:Dating back to 1390, Ballinrobe is said to be the oldest town in South Mayo. The registry of the Dominican friary of Athenry mentions the monastery de Roba, an Augustinian friary whose recently restored ruins are one of the historical landmarks of the town today...
, County Mayo
County Mayo
County Mayo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Mayo, which is now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 130,552...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.
Biography
Since 1996 Panti has been the hostess of the annual Alternative Miss IrelandAlternative Miss Ireland
The Alternative Miss Ireland is an annual event which takes place in Dublin, Ireland on the Sunday closest to St. Patrick's Day, 17 March. It occurs over about 3 and a half hours and features a pastiche of the beauty pageant rounds inspired by Andrew Logan's Alternative Miss World, with...
pageant. Panti spent several years in Tokyo, (performing as part of double act called CANDIPANTI), she returned to Ireland in 1995. Her alter-ego Rory O'Neill co-created (together with Niall Sweeney, Tonie Walsh
Tonie Walsh
Tonie Walsh in Dublin, Ireland, is an LGBT rights activist, journalist, disc jockey and founder of Irish Queer Archive.-Biography:...
and Trish Brennan) several popular transgressive performance based club nights - GAG, POWDERBUBBLE and H.A.M., in turn spawning sister clubs such as GRISTLE. Panti was the main host of these club nights.
Panti regularly hosts the annual Dublin Pride celebrations.
For a number of years Panti hosted a weekly karaoke show, The Casting Couch, at The Front Lounge pub, Dublin. She occasionally appears at Shirley Temple Bar
Shirley Temple Bar
Shirley Temple Bar is a drag queen from Dublin, Ireland, whose name is a play on both Shirley Temple and a cultural area of Dublin city called Temple Bar. A 1997 winner of the Alternative Miss Ireland competition, Shirley hosts a weekly bingo and drag show in Dublin's largest gay bar, The George...
's weekly drag queen Bingo show in Dublin's best known gay bar, The George
The George, Dublin
The George is a pub and nightclub on South Great George's Street in the city centre of Dublin, Ireland. Opened in 1985—eight years before homosexuality was legalised in Ireland—it is one of the nation's oldest gay bars and clubs. It is regarded as one of the best known gay bars in the...
.
On November 30, 2007, she opened her own self-titled 'Pantibar', for the gay community in Dublin.
Performance style
Panti's style of performance has evolved over time. Historically she would lip-synch songs by her heroines like, JoleneJolene (song)
"Jolene" is a song written and performed by Dolly Parton from her album Jolene , produced by Bob Ferguson. It is ranked #217 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of "the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".-History:...
by Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk...
or And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going
And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going
"And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" is a torch song from the Broadway musical Dreamgirls, with lyrics by Tom Eyen and music by Henry Krieger...
by Jennifer Holliday
Jennifer Holliday
Jennifer-Yvette Holliday is an African-American singer and Tony Award-winning actress. She started her career on Broadway in musicals such as Dreamgirls, and later became a successful recording artist...
but also lip-synching to instrumental songs like, Popcorn (instrumental)
Popcorn (instrumental)
"Popcorn" is an early electronic pop instrumental, originally composed by Gershon Kingsley in 1969 on his album Music to Moog By. The same year this tune was released and recorded at Audio Fidelity Records label in New York City....
or operatic numbers, such as Der Hölle Rache by Mozart. In recent years, Panti began to lip-synch reenactments of excerpts from British TV soap operas, such as Eastenders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
and Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
or classic films, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (film)
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (film)
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? is a 1962 American psychological thriller film produced and directed by Robert Aldrich, starring Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. The screenplay by Lukas Heller is based on the novel of the same name by Henry Farrell...
. Her comic style and on-stage banter is a mix of self-deprecation and self-admiration, while teasing her audience with ongoing commentary on anything from their appearance to their sexuality.
Recent highlights for native audiences have included lip-synching of Adele King
Adele King
Adele King is an Irish entertainer better known as Twink from her time as a member of a group called Maxi, Dick and Twink which was a girl band in Ireland in the late 1960s and 1970s. She is Chloë Agnew's mother....
's (Twink) infamous phone message to her to ex-husband and a parody version of the song 'He Drinks Tequila' by Crystal Swing
Crystal Swing
Crystal Swing is a new wave Country and Western and Country and Irish musical group, from Lisgoold, Cork, Ireland. The family group is made up of mother Mary Murray-Burke and her teenage children Dervla and Derek Burke....
.
Theatre
Panti played the role of 'Madame' in Spurt! Sister! Spurt! a play based on Jean GenetJean Genet
Jean Genet was a prominent and controversial French novelist, playwright, poet, essayist, and political activist. Early in his life he was a vagabond and petty criminal, but later took to writing...
's, The Maids
The Maids
The Maids is a play by the French dramatist Jean Genet. It was first performed at the Théâtre de l'Athénée in Paris in a production that opened on 17 April 1947, which Louis Jouvet directed...
. (2005)
In These Shoes? written and performed by Panti (2007)
All Dolled Up written and performed by Panti (2007)
A Woman In Progress written and performed by Panti (2009)
Television
Panti appeared on the Maury PovichMaury Povich
Maurice Richard "Maury" Povich is an American TV talk show host who currently hosts his self-titled talk show Maury.-Personal background:...
talk show in the US. (1999)
Panti played a fictional drag queen character called 'Dusty Mulberry' in episode 10, season six of the Irish medical drama series The Clinic (TV series)
The Clinic (TV series)
The Clinic is an award-winning Irish primetime television medical drama series produced by Parallel Film Productions for RTÉ. It debuted on RTÉ One in 2003 to positive reviews and proved to be one of the network's most popular shows. The show ran for seven seasons between September 2003 to November...
(2008)
Played herself as the hostess/owner of gay bar in episode four of Irish drama series Raw (television series)
Raw (television series)
Raw, an Irish drama television series for RTÉ. The show focuses on the staff at a Dublin restaurant. The first season featured six episodes shown on RTÉ Two in September 2008 and the second season of six episodes was shown on RTÉ One from 10 January 2010...
(2008)
Trivia
'Panti' is an abbreviation of 'Pandora Panti Bliss'Panti danced on stage in Japan with Cyndi Lauper during her 1994 Twelve Deadly Cyns Tour