Paul T Davies reviews Rob Madge in My Son's A Queer But What Can You Do? now playing at Underbelly at the Edinburgh Fringe.
Rob Madge My Son's A Queer but What Can You Do? Underbelly @ Edinburgh Fringe. 5 Stars Book Tickets Already award-winning, and justifiably so, Rob Madge's autobiographical show is a joyful triumph for anyone who has glitter in their DNA! He shares with us video tapes, filmed by his Dad, of his spectacular living room performances as a child. To say he believed in his own stardom is an understatement, and they are hilariously edited as he acknowledges his own ego! (And he has masses of talent, appearing in Mary Poppins on the West End at a young age). Most feature his lovely Dad, joining in the performances, although he often misses his cues, and his grandparents. They made him a custom-built theatre and the entire audience fell in love with them. The staging works brilliantly, and the songs pay fond tribute to Disney and imagination. It's a love letter to his parents, a celebration of queerness, and a handbook of how to bring up a queer child. You love them, simply love them. With a fabulous parade to conclude, the sold-out audience cheered and gave a unanimous standing ovation. UK tour please! Underbelly George Square Aug 11-14, 16-21, 23-29
Paul is a playwright, director, actor, academic, (he has a PhD from the University of East Anglia), teacher and theatre reviewer! His plays include Living with Luke, (UK tour 2016), Play Something, (Edinburgh Festival Fringe/Drayton Arms Theatre, London 2018), , (2019), and now The Miner’s Crow, which won the inaugural Artist’s Pick of the Fringe Award at the first ever Colchester Fringe Festival 2021. In lockdown 2020 he created the audio series Isolation Alan, available on Youtube, and performed online in the Voice Box Festival. He is the founder member of Stage Write, a Colchester based theatre company, and his acting roles include Rupert in How We Love by Annette Brook, first performed at the Vaults Festival 2020 and revived at the Arcola and at Theatre Peckham in 2021. Follow: @stagewrite_
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