Specie

Pleasance Dome

Jul 31-Aug 12, 14-26

12.10pm-1.10pm

£6

           Despite picking it personally from the Mumble selection, I had mixed feelings about the latest offering from Fat Git Theatre,  A show about a future where men and women could swap sexes at will? Would I be in for an overly worthy diatribe about gender politics? A question I’m sure I wasn’t the first to ask and could possibly have put much of the audience, particularly the male half, off. But no, maybe it was about time my inherent misogyny got a little ticking off. And besides, I was kind of attracted to the sci-fi element. What I got was none of this and instead a highly moving and sweet comment on faith and identity.

The play opens in a group session for people trying to come to terms with their fluctuating gender. It’s a little bit hammy and the impromptu dance routines give it a slightly pompous feel but stick with it and the show delicately opens up like a new flower, or possibly a newly formed vagina. New ageism gets a healthy kick in the teeth and at one point I thought it might veer into the controversial but not insensible notion that we should all just learn to be comfortable in our own skins. But in the end an all together more subtle and spiritual message shone through. I don’t know whether it was the hangover from the night before but I even felt myself well up a touch in the closing minutes. And I didn’t even cry at the Royal baby.

I can’t finish the review without mentioning the live bassist and guitarist who are kind of like additional actors, and at one point, even props. Who give the show a light funky score made up of arrangements of various underground pop hits. Walk on the Wild Side is obviously featured.

To sum up I ask you to be brave, don’t be put off by the apparent worthiness, and embrace this delight of metaphysical pondering.

Reviewer – Steve Vickers