My Son’s a Queer (But what can you do?)
I loved every second of this show and I found it so incredibly moving.
Norwich Playhouse
Last night’s show had me in tears 60% of the time and laughing my arse off, the remaining 40%. Tears of joy, tears of sorrow, tears of anger and tears of human connection. Honestly, I did not expect to be so wildly affected by a 60-minute solo show. I wasn’t alone in this- the sobs, gasps and giggles were audible throughout the Playhouse. Well, how did they manage to evoke such a potent reaction from the good people of the Fine City of Norwich I hear you ask?
I would describe the show as a musical storytelling which illustrated the magic of one little boy’s childhood dreams of Disney Princess levels of stardom mingled in with the honest telling of the grim realities of societal prejudice around gender. The vibrant live performance was supported by a series of clips taken from the Madge Family archives recorded in the early noughties on VHS tapes. The clips of Rob’s early childhood performances in his living room can only be described as precious moments in time, which I felt incredibly privileged to have been witness to. I can only imagine how immensely proud his parents must have been when they saw the performance for the first time; I was absolutely awestruck and I do not know the guy!
Madge’s theatrical abilities are unquestionably excellent, and to have a West End level singer and dancer grace the humble stage of the Playhouse felt really special. I’m talking singing with such projection the room vibrates, the most epic costume changes, interesting set design and real-life props from child hood. It really did have all of the ingredients which allowed the audience to immerse into young Rob’s early life and travel with him through school, childhood and into stage school. The journey was a tumultuous one and although a happy ending succeeded, I was so heartbroken and struck by the bullying and prejudice suffered by this beautiful talented little person in the videos just for being ‘a bit different’.
What an incredible gift this performer carries that allows him to inspire those who may feel similarly; a little boy who loves to dress up in Mum’s heels and pearls, a little girl who wants to drive monster trucks. For the finale there was a beautiful nod to all of those superhero parents who reached out to Madge with home videos of their own little living room superstars. This aspect was coupled with an insightful quote from Madge’s father (who features heavily throughout the past productions as cast/film crew/sound effects/costume design) stating words to the effect of: “If all we are to do as parent is to allow our children to be who they are then we have a pretty easy job”.
I loved every second of this show and I found it so incredibly moving. Easily one of the best live performances of the year; I cannot implore you enough to seek it out in the coming months. There are certainly shows happening in London and it is quite simple a must see.
11/10
