My Son’s a Queer (But what can you do?) is a fabulous solo show that sets out to educate the audience and re-claim the word Queer as something to be celebrated! Rob Madge has successfully crafted a piece of theatre that is heart-warmingly hilarious and poignantly moving. The message is obvious, yet powerful: you should let everyone be who they are. Rob openly shares the highs and lows of their magical childhood and explains how Rob’s family encourage them to shine.
The structure of the show itself is powerful: 7 steps of putting on a Disney Parade in your living room. Using clips from their family video archive, Rob explains how we can make life magical just by using our imaginations. Rob’s ode to Disney encapsulates the joy and relatable challenges of childhood. The show is written as a tribute not only to Rob’s parents and grandparents, who filled their childhood with creativity and fun, but to the wider theatre community and to any child who feels they can’t be themselves – no matter how old or young they are! By combining these educational messages with humour and real depth, Rob has discovered the secret to writing a story that audiences will remember!
Early in the show Rob tells us that they are not a good singer, Rob is in fact a fantastic singer with a strong sustained belt. The songs are sung beautifully and help the key messages to stay with the audience. Pippa Cleary has written some fantastic songs for Rob, and she clearly captures that Disney magic and sparkle that Rob is creating on stage. Having recently returned from Disney World, I really enjoyed the Disney Parks medley before the show started which set the whole tone for the show. The sound design throughout the show by Tingying Dong helped to build anticipation for the Disney parade at the end of the show!
George Reece’s projection and video helped to take the show to another level. The clips are animated consistently with the programme contents and the designs really help to highlight key moments in the story. I particularly liked how the school reports were brought into focus and how Rob created the rainbow in their bedroom. I also really enjoyed how Rob didn’t just stand aside and let the clips speak for themselves, they continued acting and interacting with the audience. Ryan Dawson Laight’s set design brings to life Rob’s living room stage, Dawsons use of the blanket curtain was magical. I loved how Dawson recreated Rob’s childhood costumes from the videos and brought to life all of Rob’s fantasies in a creative, fabulous and imaginative way. The transformative Disney parade costume combines home-made fancy dress elements with Disney shapes to make an inspiring high fashion look! Luke Shepard has clearly united this team to bring Rob’s creativity to the stage.
My Sons A Queer (But What Can You Do?) shows audiences how they can use their imaginations to create a magical world. Rob was incredibly lucky to have parents, grandparents and Stagecoach teachers to help them flourish and overcome obstacles and live their dreams from an early age. Rob excellently acknowledges this in a truthful way and brings the focus back to the world we live in now. Rob encourages the audience to help children and adults to live their full authentic lives, simply by giving the space for people to be themselves. I’d love to see Rob’s show transfer to a book or television, it’s truly a tale that everyone can relate to!
My Sons A Queer (but what can you do) is showing at The Ambassadors Theatre until March 12th https://www.atgtickets.com/venues/
Reviewer: Jennifer Laishley
Reviewed: 1st February 2023
North West End UK Rating: ★★★★★