A show I was excited about purely because of its title, A Shark Ate My Penis is a one-man show by Laser Webber, that charts the mostly unpublicised history of trans men, as well as its relevance to Webber’s own gender experience. The show slots neatly between the genres of comedy, spoken word, and musical … More A SHARK ATE MY PENIS – REVIEW – EDINBURGH FRINGE
Rom-coms appear to be the subject of a few comedy shows this year at the Fringe, with Six Chick Flicks – and Actually, Love. Centred around Alex (Sam Woof), a musician with writer’s block, who begins playing a famous love song whenever they attempt to write something fresh, and Stevie (Jordan Broatch), an actor who … More ACTUALLY, LOVE – REVIEW – EDINBURGH FRINGE
Blossoming (You Undo Me) follows Tao, a young Chinese man, as he navigates his queer awakening. Tao is a second-born child, a secretly born child, as China’s One-child policy remained in place when Tao was born. His parents wanted a second child as they wanted a boy to continue the family name. Being held to … More BLOSSOMING (YOU UNDO ME) – REVIEW – EDINBURGH FRINGE
Queer Street is a queer romantic comedy play on at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe. Written by Kae Deller, the show follows a group of six friends, focusing on their love lives. There’s also Helen Brookes who multi roles throughout as customers, an ex-wife, and a famous author. The plot is rather basic, and although it’s … More QUEER STREET – REVIEW – EDINBURGH FRINGE
Mushrooms, magic, and mythology entwine around this trans-historical sapphic drama that doesn’t quite know where it wants to be. Alice Flynn’s debut play starts with Astrid (Kalifa Taylor) and Yrsa (Phoebe Cresswell), two friends on a camping trip to observe a solar event. They are connected through the interwoven fibres of the fairy ring that … More 1000 WAYS THE WORLD WILL END (& HOW IT STARTS AGAIN) – REVIEW – KINGS HEAD THEATRE
Queer relationships – especially female ones – are not portrayed on stage nearly as often as they should be, and usually when we see these portrayed in media, they feature an element of trauma or tragedy, and it’s even rarer to see an older couple depicted. Although here, the main plot point is heartbreaking, it’s … More ES & FLO – REVIEW – KILN THEATRE
‘Daddies and twinks and bears, oh my!’ Grindr: The Opera premiered at Above the Stage in 2018 and went on to win the Off West End Award for Best New Musical. Erik Ransom’s satirical production blends operatic and pop music styles to create a dramatic and amusing show which shines a light on the gay … More GRINDR: THE OPERA – REVIEW – UNION THEATRE
Kit Sinclair’s 30 And Out is truly a diamond; a gem for theatre, women, the lesbian community, and the queer community. Kit has just turned 30 – and they’ve just come out the closet. They’re ready to lose their girl-ginity; they’re ready for their first female relationship; first lesbian clubbing experience; first Pride. But as … More 30 AND OUT – REVIEW – PLEASANCE THEATRE
While comedy hotspots like the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, King’s Head Theatre and Soho Theatre have long been serving top-tier comedy for the LGBTQ+ crowd, there has until now not existed a venue dedicated solely and explicitly to queer standup and comedy acts. Now, after several years of planning and heated anticipation, the neatly named Queer … More THE QUEER COMEDY CLUB OPENING NIGHT – REVIEW
It is exciting to see the King’s Head running a queer takeover at the moment under the leadership of Tom Ratcliffe. The first piece I have made it to is Naughty, a one-man show written and performed by Andrew Houghton about a teenager grappling with his sexuality and turning to a drama teacher for help, … More NAUGHTY – REVIEW – KING’S HEAD THEATRE
My Son’s A Queer (But What Can You Do?) first premiered at the Turbine Theatre in 2021. The show has since gone from strength to strength, with a sold out run at the Edinburgh Fringe, critical acclaim, and now its second West End run. The premise is simple, Rob Madge is putting on a show … More REVIEW – MY SON’S A QUEER (BUT WHAT CAN YOU DO?) – AMBASSADORS THEATRE
Following on from a sold out run at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival, which earned them a coveted Fringe First Award and an array of rave reviews, And Then The Rodeo Burned Down lands at the Kings Head Theatre, in London. The show follows Dale, a rodeo clown aspiring to be a cowboy, and their … More REVIEW – AND THEN THE RODEO BURNED DOWN – KINGS HEAD THEATRE
It’s the festive season, and what’s more Christmassy than a Lesbian Space Crime. Ok, so it may not be A Christmas Carol, but don’t we have enough productions of that right now – so here’s a show completely unrelated to the Christmas season, but just as likely to spark joy. Airlock Theatre launched in 2016 … More REVIEW – LESBIAN SPACE CRIME – SOHO THEATRE
Death Drop premiered in London’s West End in 2020 at the Garrick Theatre, and following 3 sold out runs, the show is back with a brand new story. Plus it’s reuniting two stars of the original run, Willam and Drag King LoUis CYfer. Death Drop Back In The Habit begins with a group of nuns … More REVIEW – DEATH DROP BACK IN THE HABIT – GARRICK THEATRE
Groove is a celebration of queer culture through the lens of dance. One of the rooms of Oxford House in Bethnal Green has been transformed into a pseudo club in which the six actors performed a range of numbers. There are some really quite beautiful and tender moments within the show. One in particular is … More REVIEW – GROOVE – OXFORD HOUSE
Following a successful run at the Edinburgh Fringe, Queenz The Show With Balls is now on a UK tour. On Friday, I went down to the Clapham Grand to check it out. Five drag queens; Dior Monte (Jaymi Hensley), Bella Du Ball (Ben Sell), Billie Eyelash (Luke Hall), Zeze Van Cartier (Lew Ray) and Candy … More REVIEW – QUEENZ THE SHOW WITH BALLS – THE CLAPHAM GRAND
Rob Madge’s first ever stage was the family living room. Where they put on Disney parades and musicals. They were then in Mary Poppins on the West End as a child. Now they’re selling out the giant purple cow at the Edinburgh Fringe – and it’s not difficult to see why, My Son’s A Queer … More REVIEW – ROB MADGE: MY SON’S A QUEER (BUT WHAT CAN YOU DO?) – EDINBURGH FRINGE
‘Life is never quite as straight as it seems’ states Jessica. The Bleeding Obvious is a one-woman cabaret by Yorkshire lesbian Jessica Rowbottom. During an hour, filled with original songs and her own stories, we are taken on a journey of life as a genderqueer person in a very binary world. Rowbottom discusses coming out, … More REVIEW – THE BLEEDING OBVIOUS – EDINBURGH FRINGE
Straight and Narrow is a comedy play written by Jimmy Chinn and first performed in 1992. Ithas since been revived with direction from Mark Curry and found a new home at Above the Stag Theatre in Vauxhall, which is notable for showcasing LGBT+ productions. Straight and Narrow follows Bob and Jeff, a gay couple, whose … More REVIEW – STRAIGHT AND NARROW – ABOVE THE STAG
It’s pride month and whilst it’s a time to celebrate, it is also important to reflect and remember the atrocities the community has faced in the past. Above The Stag, a gay bar in Vauxhall is doing just that by staging The Convert. The Convert is the second show I’ve seen this year dealing with … More REVIEW – THE CONVERT – ABOVE THE STAG
