Saturday, June 6

Tag: Second Class Queer

Second Class Queer – Riverside Studios
London

Second Class Queer – Riverside Studios

‘Second Class Queer’ delivers an emotionally charged and deeply human exploration of identity, belonging and grief. Written, performed and produced by Kumar Muniandy, the one-person play uses the framework of a Berlin speed-dating event to unpack the experiences of Krishna, a queer Malaysian-Indian man navigating racism, homophobia and the exhausting complexities of existing between conflicting cultures. What makes this production compelling is not technical polish, but the honesty of its storytelling and writing and the charisma of Muniandy. The script confronts difficult themes without losing sight of humour or vulnerability, allowing moments of discomfort to sit alongside genuinely touching reflections on loneliness, shame and connection. Muniandy’s performance carries a quiet intens...
Second Class Queer – Theatro Technis
London

Second Class Queer – Theatro Technis

Opening with a beautiful dance sequence that takes a ghastly turn to reveal the news of a horrifying homophobic attack, Kumar Muniandy’s solo play Second Class Queer is a raw exploration of identity through the lens of race, sexuality, and post-colonialism. Muniandy portrays Krishna, a queer Indian Malaysian man who is living in Berlin, where he attends a gay speed dating event. This event provides the framework for the majority of the 60-minute play as we watch Krishna chat with five different men, each conversation slowly revealing Krishna’s buried trauma and guilt over his role in his mother’s death. It’s a clever structural device that lends itself to some interesting dialogue and light humour — delivered with plenty of charm by Muniandy — but many of the conversations feel m...