Rob Madge
HOME, Manchester
August 19-25, 2024; 1 hr 15 mins
Rob Madge has had an eventful few months. Two weeks before their deeply personal show, My Son’s a Queer, (But What Can You Do?), was due to open on Broadway, the run was abruptly postponed.
Instead, Madge created a new West End theatre piece about the American debacle and then took the original on tour around the UK. It returned to the Edinburgh Fringe and is now at HOME to coincide with Manchester’s pride celebrations. New York’s loss is very much our gain.
On the face of it, this is a show about Madge’s attempts to recreate, and improve, a calamitous Disney parade his younger self led for his family at home in Coventry; a parade gloriously preserved for posterity on VHS.
Of course, it is about much more than that. It's a backward look at Madge’s personal struggle with his theatricality and his sexuality, as well as a guide to help parents love and support children who might be a little different.
Home movies and original songs are woven through the story as the one-act show moves effortlessly to an emotional and heartwarming conclusion.
It is cleverly curated. The gorgeous family clips (everyone will fall in love with Madge’s father and grandparents) are nicely chosen, along with select school reports, to build a clear picture of childhood development.
The themes Madge tackles are not new; theatregoers who have seen similar productions might find this an entry-level, mainstream example of the genre.
But this is not meant to be gritty. It is meant to be universal, in the mould of the best U-rated Disney classics. And it works.
Under Luke Sheppard’s direction, the narrative builds brilliantly, despite a few moments in the script where the timeline is a little tricky to follow.
The retro living room set and ingenious costumes, by Ryan Dawson Light, are first class. It is easy to see how the production would thrive on a West End or Broadway stage.
The star of the show though is Madge, as a precocious, hilarious and talented young performer in the childhood videos, and as the thoughtful, knowing and talented adult on stage before us.
It is clear Madge has lived with this script for some time now, and they deliver it with pitch-perfect timing to build the pathos, drama and humour.
Anyone who ever put on a show at home will understand and love every second of the performance. Anyone who didn’t should see it to understand and love those who did. Let’s hope Broadway still beckons.
Tickets and information here
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