THEGAYUK

Author: Chris Bridges

  • 5 ways to beat the bullies

    Don’t suffer in silence. THEGAYUK Columnist Chris Bridges shares 5 ways to beat the bullies and how he dealt with the homophobes in his life.

    CREDIT: Flynt-bigstock

    1) Tell people about it

    The worst bullying of all came from a sport’s teacher (clichéd, I know but people often do behave in a way so tediously true to the expected norm). The belittling comments and name calling during sports lessons set a precedent. If it was acceptable for a teacher to call me ‘the poofter’ in front of the class then it was acceptable for everyone, surely? The resolution came when he blacked my eye (accidentally) by throwing an icy cold football at my face with velocity whilst shouting some retro homophobic name at me. Cue a minor inquiry and a partial resolution of his nasty behaviour (it was the ‘80s, people could get away with more bad stuff than now). It’s easy to see, in retrospect, that I could have made it end a lot quicker had I spoken out sooner to maybe my parents or a sympathetic teacher. At the time this felt terrifying and impossible but I realise now that I didn’t deserve this and that whatever I did to speak out then the moron couldn’t hurt me any more than he already was doing.

    2) There’s safety in numbers

    Take comfort in your allies and if possible, befriend the like minded. I’d tell 12-year-old Chris that he has a great bunch of friends who actually seem to like him and will stand up for him. I made friends with two other gay teenagers and that was an incredibly lucky thing for me. I was lucky that they existed and we got on. We’d hang out together and to our surprise, it was harder to bully three people than one. My loyal female friends were a support too. There was a memorable incident when a boy tripped me over on the way home and my female friend punched him squarely on the jaw. He didn’t cross me again for fear of her firm left-hook. Naturally, I wouldn’t ever advocate violence but I really wish I’d known before that my group of friends were so willing to take no nonsense whilst I was prepared to take so much.

    3) What they’re saying is rubbish

    Just because you have a crush on the singer from Duran Duran and like a good show tune doesn’t make you inferior. Whatever names they might call you are utterly irrelevant. The opinion of someone who terrorises someone due to his or her sexuality really doesn’t count at all. It’s worth less than zero. In fact, it’s worth less than that even. It needs a whole scale of its own; it’s so beneath contempt.

    4) Look for positive role models

    Not so easy in the 1980s but this is a bit easier now, hopefully. Even back in the bad old days of leg warmers and The Kids from Fame, there were strong positive people to look up to. It was a revelation to me, at the age of 14, to discover gay literature. I devoured books by Edmund White and Felice Picano and took a keen interest in historical figures like Harvey Milk who had fought so strongly for the cause. Pop music gave me idols too and Andy Bell and Jimmy Somerville were strong and unashamedly gay figures. These people taught me more about humanity and strength than any meathead sports teacher or vile acting teenager with an axe to grind.

    I also found comfort from a local gay youth group and the local gay switchboard. I was amazed that other people understood what the strife I was going through and that I wasn’t alone.

    5) Remember: You really are a lot more fierce and fabulous than they’ll ever be

    Nothing to say about this on except: fact!

    This is just my advice to myself and doesn’t apply to everyone. Bullying is a hard thing to stand up to and to get through alone. If you are being bullied because of your sexuality or any other reason, whatever age you are, then please get some professional help and advice.

     

    Here are some useful links:
    http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Bullying/Pages/Homophobicbullying.aspx
    http://www.standupfoundation.com/

    http://www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/advice/children-young-people.aspx

    http://www.eachaction.org.uk/about-each/

     

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Thebes Land

    THEATRE REVIEW | Thebes Land

    ★★★★ | Thebes Land

    Thebes Land review
    CREDIT: Alex Brenner

    Our fascination with murder shows no sign of waning. Crime fiction, newspaper headlines and ‘true life’ series like Making a Murderer and Serial present tales that are still as grimly compelling to us as the story of Oedipus murdering his father was to the ancient Greeks. ‘Thebes Land’ promises us the story of Martin, a young man who has committed a particularly grisly act of patricide. Not only is documentary maker ‘T’ going to tell us about the story of how he met Martin in order to write this play but he’s also going to present the real Martin on stage. The audience are safe, though. Martin is contained in a 3-metre high wire cage, as per Home Office regulations. Or is he up on the balcony under armed guard? Or is he watching us watching him via video-link?

    Daniel Goldman’s cleverly adapted version of this South American piece is a wily beast of a play. It beguiles, tricks and twists until the audience aren’t quite sure what to believe at any point. It starts innocuously enough and promises to be a slightly dry but nonetheless intriguing academic discourse on the nature of theatre-making and storytelling. That’s the first trick of many. It’s a whole lot more than that. What evolves is multifaceted with reflections on multiple issues including the father/son relationship, truth and ego.

    It’s a lot more than that too. It’s a grisly crime story, it’s titillating (whilst making you feel perturbed that it’s titillating) and it has a disturbing undertone of sexual tension that crops up between the two men. Hell, it even has a weird little segment where there’s a Whitney Houston number. There’s so much contained here that it leaves you reeling at points and not sure what to think about next.

    There is the odd discordant moment where the self-mocking misses the mark but these are few and far between and the two actors are entirely credible. There’s something impish, attractive and likeable about Trevor White’s ‘T’ and Alex Austin gives good vulnerable but terrifying disaffected youth. If you like to be toyed with and want an unconventional night at the theatre then head down to The Arcola and take a cage-side seat. You won’t regret it.

     

    Thebes Land plays at the Arcola Theatre until 23rd December

     

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  • THEATRE REVIEW | Jinkx Monsoon and Major Scales: Unwrapped

    ★★★★★ | Jinkx Monsoon and Major Scales: Unwrapped

    CREDIT: Nate Watters

    I have to confess that I had mixed emotions at the prospect of seeing Jinkx Monsoon (Seattle’s youngest M.I.L.F. and the victorious underdog from Season 5), and Major Scales at the Soho Theatre. Firstly, I’m a huge fanboy of Jinkx. Who doesn’t love a narcoleptic Jewish drag queen? Secondly, though, I don’t like Christmas and this is a Christmas show. When I say I don’t like Christmas I mean in a pathological, itchy toothed, nails scraping into my palms kind of way. Whilst Jinkx is my favourite queen of all time from RuPaul’s Drag Race the prospect of a Christmas-themed show in November made me feel vaguely psychotic and almost had me reaching for the brandy bottle.

    I really needn’t have worried. Major Scales describes this as a show holiday show for those exhausted by the holidays. There’s not a trace of Mariah Carey and no fake bonhomie. Instead Major takes on the role of pro-Christmas advocate whilst Jinkx drily drawls about how rubbish it actually can be. Especially for an unconventional queer Jewish drag artiste.

    They cover subjects such as what gifts to give to give to queer children, why singing a song about seducing a fat old man is just plain weird (Santa Baby) and how to spend time with your right wing Trump/Brexit loving relatives. There are some witty covers of Bowie, a Del Ray and Miley Cyrus as well as a clever reworking of a Kander and Ebb number. Predominantly, they sing their own compositions with Jinkx showcasing her fabulous singing voice. She not only looks good and has impeccable comic timing but she’s a cracking singer and can belt out a tune with panache. Her persona is waspish and bitchy but not in a terrifying way. There’s an underlying inner kitten that is hiding under the bitchy exterior. Whilst the show is slick and professional it still has a dark and anarchic edge to it that is endearing.

    Major Scales is not only a great writing talent and ‘straight man’ to Jinkx’s distinctly kinked woman but is also a fine pianist and singer too. This is a duo that shouldn’t be missed. Whether you’re hiding in a bunker till January to avoid all the tawdry fuss or are already humming Christmas tunes under your breath and decking a tree with glittery things, this is an endearing and funny show. Get down to the Soho Theatre for an intimate experience with one of America’s hottest drag queens.

    Run at the Soho Theatre until 10th December 2016

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  • THEATRE REVIEW | Tonight with Donny Stixx, The Bunker

    THEATRE REVIEW | Tonight with Donny Stixx, The Bunker

    ★★★★ | Tonight with Donny Stixx, The Bunker

    CREDIT: Savannah Photographic
    CREDIT: Savannah Photographic

    Donny Stixx is a boy with problems. He’s the product of a troubled background but he’s putting all that behind him for one night of audience questions and answers as he jokes with the audience, winking cheekily and tells us all about his rise to fame and his magic act. Sadly, Donny isn’t as famous for his dated magic show as he is for other things and he’s not known as the most hated boy in England for nothing. His cheesy ‘end of the pier show’ facade soon drops and despite his rage at the questions about the shootings, he’s going to tell us all about it.

    Multi award-winning playwright Philip Ridley is a master at capturing the darker side of the human condition and the story of Donny Stixx is a fine example of his work. Like its companion piece Dark Vanilla Jungle this is a one person show that features a troubled teenager. The script is witty and fast paced and almost dizzying as Donny bombards the audience with his repartee. There’s a cosy and domestic theme to his rambling that draws you in but soon falls apart as a much scarier and uncontained Donny breaks through.

    Director David Mercatali has a fine pedigree of presenting Ridley’s works and this is no exception. Sean Michael Verey (Pramface) hits all the right notes as Donny. He manages to convey both an endearing vulnerability and a truly chilling rage as he interacts with an imaginary audience (don’t worry, there’s a fourth wall). It’s not hard to see why he won awards for this performance at The Edinburgh Fringe. The new space of The Bunker at Southwark is a fine home for a piece like this. It’s an intimate new 110 seat venue in an old underground car park (you may want to take a warm coat) next to The Menier Chocolate Factory (a short walk from London Bridge Station). The sparse staging helps to centre attention on Verey’s powerful performance.

    Donny Stixx raises interesting issues about the nature of the lost and lonely teenager and how society can fail them. If you want an evening that’s funny but as far away from the saccharine highs of a West End musical as can be then this is a must see.

    Tonight with Donny Stixx plays at The Bunker Theatre until 3rd December

     

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  • THEATRE REVIEW | An Inspector Calls, The Playhouse Theatre

    THEATRE REVIEW | An Inspector Calls, The Playhouse Theatre

    ★★★★★ | An Inspector Calls, The Playhouse Theatre

    An Inspector Calls
    CREDIT: Mark Mark Douet

    J.B. Priestley’s 1940s play An Inspector Calls had languished somewhat until Stephen Daldry’s (The Crown, Billy Elliot, The Hours) landmark 1992 production.

    The piece was much loved by amateur dramatic societies and small regional theatres, in part due to its seven-person cast and one room staging. Daldry’s revival, almost 25 years ago, at The National Theatre, gave the play a fresh lease of life with a radical new staging and a dramatic set design by Ian MacNeil. Now restaged again in London at The Playhouse Theatre, after long-running regional tours, this stylish and evocative revival is still feeling as fresh and pertinent as it did in the 90s.

    In 1912 the wealthy upper middle-class Birling family are celebrating their daughter’s engagement to the son of a prominent family. The evening in their dining room in Bromley is interrupted by the arrival of Inspector Goole who tells them of the death of a young woman by a particularly gruesome suicide. The family are at first irked by the intrusion on their celebrations but gradually come to see that they each had a role in bringing about the woman’s downfall.

    The stage is dominated by a giant dolls’ house raised high above the stage. This has to be one of the most breathtaking stagings of the last few decades. To describe the workings of the set would ruin the surprises but needless to say, it’s a clever design that enhances and doesn’t swamp the play’s message. Even though the smaller stage of The Playhouse feels a little cramped for the production, it’s still powerful and atmospheric. The cast are strong, and special mention must go to the excellent Barbara Marten as the monstrous Sybil. She imbues a touch of high camp without detracting from the horror of her snobbish coldness.

    Can a revival of a play from seventy years ago, about a family from a hundred years ago still speak to today’s audiences? The answer is a resounding yes. The theme is self-interest, prejudice and how people use others weaker than them to get ahead. With recent world events and the scary rise of far right wing politicians, it couldn’t feel fresher. Or more chilling.

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    An Inspector Calls plays at The Playhouse Theatre

  • THEATRE REVIEW | F*cking Men

    THEATRE REVIEW | F*cking Men

    ★★★★ | F*cking Men

    If you’ve ever heard of the concept of ‘six degrees of separation’ then you’ll already know the theme of Arthur Schnitzel’s classic 1897 play Le Ronde. Couples copulate and the circle goes round with one-half of each couple appearing in the next scene with a new partner and the half of the first couple seen on stage appearing as one-half of the final shagging couple. Joe DiPietro’s updated version of his 2015 play features men f***ing. Lots of them. The three actors take on various roles including a rent boy, a soldier, a Hollywood actor, a married couple and a porn star. It’s a great concept and it actually works.

    The dialogue is sharp and witty and the play is by turns grimy, tender and darkly comedic as well as at times, erotic. Men fumble, fellate and f*** (you’d want your money back if they didn’t, wouldn’t you?). The situations are sometimes familiar, sometimes exotic and DiPietro manages to cover a lot of pertinent issues without being dull or preachy. From the young soldier pretending to himself that having his cock sucked doesn’t make him gay to the couple with intricate rules attached to their open relationship (which, of course, they aren’t abiding to); these are situations that are bound to resonate with a gay audience.

    A couple of the scenes jar slightly and there’s the odd discordant character but mostly these people feel spot on. The three actors are as talented as they’re hot. This is a feast for the intellect as well as the eyes and it’s a thought provoking and wise piece.

    I’d highly recommend getting down to The Vaults at Waterloo to catch this play. David Hare’s 1998 version of La Ronde (The Blue Room which starred a naked Nicole Kidman) was famously described as ‘pure theatrical Viagra’. This is a triple dose of Viagra in a tunnel at Waterloo. Now that’s not something you get offered every day.

    F***ing Men runs at The Vaults Theatre until 4th December

  • THEATRE REVIEW | The Last Five Years

    ★★★ | The Last Five Years, St James Theatre

    CREDIT: Scott Rylander

    The St James Theatre near Victoria has had a poor recent track record with widely panned shows such as “Miss Atomic Bomb” and the deeply unfunny comedies “Pig Farm” and “Three Lions” denting their reputation.

    It’s soon to be re-launched as “The Other Palace” (what were they thinking of with that name?). Things may be looking up with the addition of the duo that brought smash hit “In the Heights” to London (artistic director Paul Taylor-Mills and choreographer Drew McOnie) for their first production. Now acquired by Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s Really Useful Company, the intention is that this will be a home for established productions as well new musicals.

    Before the name change, we have the 2001 two-hander “The Last Five Years”. It concerns a New York couple and looks at their failing relationship. Failing actress Cathy tells the story backwards from the point where they split up whilst rising star novelist Jamie tells the story from the time they first meet. There’s a midpoint where their stories match up and they join each other on stage. Told in solo songs, it’s a quirky musical that hasn’t dated much in its style since it was written in 2001 and the form almost works. There is something odd, though, about numbers in which the couple sing to each other but are alone on stage with the other half of the relationship occasionally loping through.

    Star of Les Miserables, Samantha Barks is a gutsy Cathy and can certainly belt out a tune as well as convey emotion. Good-looking “Broadchurch” beau Jonathan Bailey is almost her vocal equal. There are some moving songs, comedic moments and the odd deft touch of lyricism mixed with some heavy-handed metaphors. The main problem lies in connecting with the couple. They appear. They meet. They split up (and do the same in reverse, if you’re watching Cathy’s numbers). We don’t learn an awful lot more. Cathy is a struggling actress who is late a lot. Jamie writes a book and finds success, ultimately neglecting Cathy. It doesn’t feel enough and there’s a limited amount of depth to the story and characterisation that makes the numbers hard to connect with fully. The set is clumsy, pushed and pulled by stagehands with creaky moving parts jerkily appearing and wobbling a la “Crossroads” motel.

    In spite of the flaws: there can’t be many of us who don’t identify with the elation of a fledging relationship or the hideous pain of parting when it all goes wrong. There are some great songs, wry humour and touching moments. There’s a lot to like here (especially the two stars) and hopefully, this is a sign of better things to come (except for the new theatre name).

     

    The Last Five Years plays at St James Theatre until the 3rd December

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  • THEATRE REVIEW | Fool For Love, Found 111

    THEATRE REVIEW | Fool For Love, Found 111

    ★★★ | Fool For Love, Found 111

    This revival of Sam Shepherd’s 1983 drama marks the end of Found 111, the intimate Charing Cross Road performance space. Housed in the old St Martin’s College building next to Foyle’s, this odd little space has seen some triumphant plays in the past year. We’ve had Andrew Scott as one of a pair of reclusive brothers burying themselves in their own hoard of junk in The Dazzle, James Norton delusional, semi-naked and sweaty in Bug and Matthew Lewis as a hot shirtless hustler (a long way from Harry Potter’s fellow student Neville Longbottom) in Unfaithful.

    Fool For Love theatre review
    CREDIT: Marc Brennan

    Fool for Love is a claustrophobic play, suited to the closed, low-ceilinged space and seems a fine choice. Stuntman Eddie and his lover May are acting out the death throes of an on/off relationship in a motel room on the edge of the desert, overlooked by a brooding cowboy. The dialogue is terse as they parry and pace around each other and there are more slamming doors than in a house full of truculent teenagers. It’s a one-act play running at 70 minutes and whilst neither the plot nor theme enthral, the language frequently does.

    Eddie is played to brooding perfection by Ripper Street star Adam Rothenberg. He’s a strutting piece of sexually enthralling, bruised masculinity. His angular face pouts and he cheekily arches eyebrows. He’s also very easy on the eye and is a constant visual draw whenever he’s on stage. Equally strong is Lydia Wilson as May, convincingly showing us a character on the edge, veering between rage and even more rage. The problem is in the chemistry between them. For some reason, it doesn’t entirely work. However strong they are individually, there’s something lacking between them as a pair of long-term lovers. The space doesn’t help. The back of the theatre is opened up into a more expansive space and the atmosphere of an oppressive motel room that was achieved in ‘Bug” doesn’t quite come across here, however, much smoke they pump in.

    Found 111 isn’t going out with a bang (apart from the slamming doors) but nor is it a whimper. This play lies somewhere in between the two. It’s well worth seeing, especially if you’re planning to see Ed Harris in Buried Child at Trafalgar Studios. It fits neatly into the cannon of Shepherd’s work and provides interesting background. Also worth paying cash for is the sight of Adam Rothenberg. Thankfully, the production team are planning on resurfacing in similar quirky spaces that bring theatre away from the proscenium arch and into your lap. Watch this space.

    Fool For Love plays at Found 111 until the 17th December

     

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  • THEATRE REVIEW | Side Show at Southwark Playhouse

    ★★★ | Side Show at Southwark Playhouse

    There’s something grimly fascinating about conjoined twins. As a child, I longed for a twin, someone within the family who would be just like me and understand me completely. Conversely, I also found family life constraining and claustrophobic and wanted solitude and escape. Imagine having a twin who you share a body with and the implications of this? It’s a strange notion to consider.

    CREDIT: Pamela Raith

    One of the most fascinating sets of conjoined twins in history was Daisy and Violet Hilton. They were born in Brighton in 1908 and were joined at the pelvis, sharing some blood supply. Displayed in freak shows, they ultimately hit the vaudeville circuit in America and ended up appearing in films. Their personal life was unconventional: they ‘divorced’ their guardian and manager, both married gay men and died alone with one twin dying a few days before the other.

    Russell and Krieger’s 1997 musical Side Show should be a fascinating and moving tale. It is and it isn’t. There are some spectacularly good songs but also some drearily forgettable ones. The musical feels a tad derivative at times with too many echoes of Chicago and Cabaret but at others feels unique and powerful. Daisy and Violet’s story begins at the freak show and the ‘freaks’ act out the events of their life; doubling as reporters, courtroom attendants, wedding guests etc. Again, this could have worked well but the whole show feels less of a missed opportunity but more like an almost achieved opportunity.

    The two leads are the supremely talented musical theatre actresses Louise Dearman (the only actress to have played both Glina and Elphaba in Wicked) and Laura Pitt-Pulford. They carry the show and have an electrifying presence. They’re ably supported by Dominic Hodson and Haydn Oakley as their career propelling prospective suitors. The problem lies in how the rest of the cast are used.

    The ‘freaks’ are dressed in what looks like Halloween costumes made by someone’s mother and they’re all a bit too stagey in their actions and expressions. There are lots of broad gestures and facial contortions whilst they enthusiastically plod through the seen-before choreography. The Southwark Playhouse is a small and intimate space and works well for close-up musical theatre but not when the cast is behaving like it’s The London Palladium and the clothes don’t bear up to scrutiny from anything less than 50 feet away.

    Overall, it’s a show worth catching, if only for the chance to see two of musical theatre’s rising stars perform so beautifully at such close quarters. Just try not to ‘Come Look at the Freaks’ (as the opening and closing songs implore). You might feel embarrassed and not for any of the wrong reasons.

    Side Shows plays at the Southwark Playhouse until 3rd December

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  • THEATRE REVIEW | Safe, London Theatre

    THEATRE REVIEW | Safe, London Theatre

    ★★★ Safe, London Theatre

    The statistics about homelessness people are alarming. 25% of homeless and at risk youth in the UK identify as LGBT, a shockingly high proportion.  Alexis Gregory has made a verbatim theatre piece looking at the subject. He interviewed a group of young adults who had been at risk or homeless and created a powerful set of interwoven monologues.

    CREDIT: Jane Hobson
    CREDIT: Jane Hobson

    Alicia started stealing her family’s painkillers to self-medicate against her confusion and worries about her sexuality.  Spiralling into a cycle of alcohol addiction she hurtles towards homelessness and hits rock bottom. Jack is confused by his gender, growing up as a boy in a girl’s body, suffering anxiety attacks and verbal abuse from his family who refuse to call him by his correct gender or use the right pronouns. Samuel realises that he’s gay at a young age but his ultra-religious Nigerian parents aren’t sympathetic to his sexuality. When he’s outed by his sister he ends up facing a volley of abuse and barrage of prayers along with plans to send him to Africa to ‘cure’ him. Understandably he flees. Alicia (same name, different character) is rejected by her mother and ends up in children’s homes and foster care. Trapped in the wrong body she works as a rent boy to get cash to get by.

    The stories are a mix of pathos, humour and horror. Samuel’s story (told by the talented Michael Fatogun) is laden with wry humour and the vibrant wit of his character comes through. Riley Carter Millington is among the cast and plays Jack. Better known for his portrayal of Kyle Slater in ‘Eastenders’; Riley was the first transgendered actor to play a transgender character in a T.V. soap opera. It’s a strong cast and they’re gifted a beautiful script (or transcript, even). There’s a hint of music with alternating singers at the start of the show (Rudi Douglas did a spine-tingling acapella version of ‘Smalltown Boy’ on the show I saw). There’s also a series of thought provoking 15 minute curated talks each night after the hour-long performance.

    The interspersing of the monologues with interactions of other actors playing subsidiary roles stalls the action and reduces the impact a little but it’s otherwise pitch perfect.

    Troubling and painful as the stories can be there’s ultimately something redemptive about them too. The Albert Kennedy Trust’s work figures highly in their support of young LGBT people in crisis. This is a performance worth catching. There can’t be many LGBT people out there who don’t find something to identify with here, too. These are exceptional stories in one sense but not in another. These are ‘everyman/woman’ stories that are sure to resonate.

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  • THEATRE REVIEW | Shopping and F*cking

    ★ | Shopping and F***ing

    What’s not to like about shopping and f***ing? They’re two fine occupations. The answer is a that there’s a hell of a lot not to like in this messy and deeply flawed adaptation of Mark Ravenhill’s 1996 play. This is a world where sex and consumerism are distinctly unfunny, painfully dull and are a chore to watch.

    The play concerns Mark, a heroin addict who’s just failed in rehab, his lover Robbie and their flatmate Lulu. Emotionally deadened and reduced to seeing everything through a lens of consumerism, they’ve lost the ability to connect emotionally. Cue the arrival of Gary, a teenage rent boy who’s the victim of sexual abuse and now wants to be owned and a messy situation with a drug dealer. Events only serve to deepen their jaded worldview.

    Thematically the play has become more, rather than less relevant in the 20 years since it was first staged at The Royal Court. The world feels more mechanical and glassy eyed with the rise in the usage of the Internet. The play should work as well as it did when it was first written. The problem here is that director Sean Holmes’ attempts at a clever staging have swamped the play to such a degree that it’s almost unwatchable and the script feels buried beneath a high sheen.

    The Lyric has been transformed into a TV studio with a change in seating, green screens and cameras. It’s like a 90’s late night crap TV show with bouncy fake enthusiasm crossed with a surreal shopping channel. Runners appear, there are interludes where the cast try to sell tat to the audience and breaks for shameless nostalgia fests with 90’s pop music, one where Robbie gets off his face on E. It feels sloppy and cheap and not in any intentional way. Back projections of porn, scenes of rimming with associated anal bleeding, characters vomiting on stage, karaoke, audience participation, nudity, on-stage sex, drug-use, splatters of body fluid: I’d list more of the multitude of things that this production has thrown clumsily on stage but I’m starting to get flashbacks of boredom.

    It feels sloppy and cheap and not in any intentional way. Back projections of porn, scenes of rimming with associated anal bleeding, characters vomiting on stage, karaoke, audience participation, nudity, on-stage sex, drug-use, splatters of body fluid: I’d list more of the multitude of things that this production has thrown clumsily on stage but I’m starting to get flashbacks of boredom.

    This could have worked and could have been an arch and witty adaptation that slammed home the message of the play and emphasised the caustic wit of the piece. Instead, it just feels juvenile and tiresome with nothing to compel you to watch. It’s about as dull as spending an hour and a half listening to Gary Barlow’s monotone voice (if you hadn’t noticed, the characters are named after Take That).

    Really disappointing work from The Lyric.

    Shopping and F*cking plays at The Lyric until the 5th November

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