My Son’s A Queer, But What Can You Do?
The Turbine Theatre
Reviewed – 23rd June 2021
★★★½
“Twelve-year old Rob is living the dream, and they’re inviting you, pick ‘n’ mix in hand, to watch”
All future productions, please take note: I absolutely accept bribes, in this instance a tub of pick ‘n’ mix waiting on my seat, particularly if it’s the fancy kind with chocolate-covered honeycomb and giant squishy jelly babies, which this was.
As it happens, a tub of fancy pick ‘n’ mix (provided for the whole audience) pairs exceptionally well with this evening’s gloriously kitsch, luxuriously self-involved, super extra display.
Using childhood home videos of Rob Madge directing their mum, dad, gran and grandad (and on one occasion aunts, uncles and cousins) in fully scripted, blocked and costumed productions, we’re guided through the seven steps to putting on a seamless Disney parade through gran’s hallway.
In doing so, Rob talks us through their journey of self-discovery and, despite the very best support from their family, battling society’s seemingly insatiable need to try and crush the sparkle out at a very young age.
On the one hand, this is a totally relatable story for anyone who doesn’t fit the mould, who was told they’d be better off trying to blend in than just be themselves. On the other, this is the most self-indulgent endeavour, in much the same way of a child’s living room show which, one supposes, is sort of the point. Regardless, it does feel a bit like it was created with mainly friends and family in mind who, no doubt, will have had the best time ever watching their beloved retrace their steps to their fabulous present selves.
And Rob is absolutely fabulous, as both a bossy 12-year-old sliding down the banister in full Mary Poppins get-up, and standing before us this evening, rocking a petticoat with confetti-filled pockets, and splicing family videos with belting, Broadway-like numbers.
Ryan Dawson Laight’s living room stage design is appropriately phantasmagoric: a set of draws turns into a showtime set of stairs, beneath an armchair hides a glittering golden runway, and tucked inside a TV cabinet is a set of disco lights and metallic streamers.
Costume changes, whilst far from seamless, are brilliant in their homespun charm: Maleficent’s fierce cape billows away to reveal Belle’s sunflower yellow dress, which tears off to unveil Ariel’s shell bra and shining tale.
And this is really the main difference between Rob’s homemade Disney parade over a decade ago and tonight’s performance: the full force of a professional production, replete with director (Luke Sheppard), lighting designer (Jai Morjaria), composer (Pippa Cleary) and projection designer (George Reeve). This is what happens when you give a brilliant, flamboyant twelve-year-old creative control and a budget. Twelve-year old Rob is living the dream, and they’re inviting you, pick ‘n’ mix in hand, to watch.
Reviewed by Miriam Sallon
Photography by Mark Senior
My Son’s A Queer, But What Can You Do?
The Turbine Theatre until 3rd July
Other shows reviewed by Miriam this year:
Tarantula | ★★★★ | Online | April 2021
Reunion | ★★★★★ | Sadler’s Wells Theatre | May 2021
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