By day they are glamorous. By night, spectacular.
They call themselves the Thailand Ladyboy Superstars, and their Australian tour opens in Adelaide this Wednesday.
The show features more than 20 transgender Thai performers -- the best in the business, selected from cabaret shows in the nightlife capital of Pattaya.
The term 'ladyboy' is an often-controversial label, but lead dancer Lada shrugs off its negative connotations.
It has become synonymous, she said, with the shows she loves to star in.
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When on stage, “I feel like a queen,” she said.
For the performers, the glittery façade hides a gritty story of personal and public acceptance.
Though often stigamatised, Lada says transgender people are starting to become more accepted in Thailand.
There are still some government policies she would like to see changed, including marriage laws and the fact that many are still identified as male against their wishes on official documentation.
“The government, they not give anything for us,” she said.
“But for working, it’s ok. If you finish university, you can work everywhere.”
The show's producer, Damian Syred, says deciding on the show's title took careful deliberation.
“We've had to give some thought as to how we're going to brand everything, and from the word go we decided to put the word ‘ladyboy’ in the title, so people knew what they were getting, so there were no sort of, surprises.”
He said that despite the common association with the sex industry, that's not this show's focus.
"The girls that we've got here in the show, they are true performers, and that's what they're here for, to perform and to showcase these talents," he said.
"It's not crude, [there's not] anything vulgar in the show, it's just good fun."
Lada is hopeful of finding an audience in Australia, and acceptance -- away from the bars of Pattaya.
“If you don't like, you don't have to look,” she said. “But if you try to talk with them, maybe you'll have new friends.”
After three weeks in Adelaide, the show will move to Melbourne, then Sydney.
