It’s been a rollercoaster of variety already: funny, serious, questioning,
confrontational… Here’s what I’ve got up to at this year’s Queer Contact so far.
Life’s A Drag is a piece by artist Jez Dolan looking at Manchester’s drag
history, and present day, and these live performances represent the first
fruits of an ongoing project. Written with playwright Chris Hoyle, Life’s a
Drag is a meta-comedy where we see two drag queens preparing backstage for a
show. While they bitch, kvetch, laugh and take us on a journey back in time via
the make-up box, they teach one another about the relevance of their own particular
school of drag and gayness, from Polari to RuPaul. We encounter legends and
legendary nights out, from Foo Foo Lamaar to the Hulme drag ball, and it’s all done
with such a light touch that it feels like a genuine eavesdrop, even as they
kick down the fourth wall with heels. There’s a superbly moving moment with a
pair of earrings that crystallises what the piece is about for me, plus an
astonishingly good musical medley at the end, sung across the decades, but no spoilers
as to the songs…
FAdoubleGOT and The Daily Grind worked well on the same bill. The former is Jamal Gerald’s very personal story,
encompassing bullying, education, a second-generation immigrant experience,
youth, sexuality and life in a Northern town. Using monologue, symbolism, music
and pop culture, it’s performed with a charming combination of earnestness and
sass that perhaps even its very young creator isn’t fully aware of. He’s also a
terrific poet and his verse threads neatly through the piece as he goes. The Daily Grind is the work of a slightly older, very serious theatre maker, all about life on dating apps. Don’t be surprised
if you feel vulnerable and discomfited as much as moved to laughter. The dissonance of the performance comes from its single performer and writer,
Laurie Brown, flitting between friendly, camp, menacing and monstrous. For
anyone in the know it mirrors convincingly the Jekyll and Hyde nature of online
encounters. The last five minutes of the show were a borderline genius move.
A personal highlight so far has been Outspoken, the poetry and spoken word event. A real triumph of
curating, the breadth of writing styles and extremely high standard of performance,
not to mention the content which ran from surreal to sad to hilarious to
too-damn-true, made for a really inspirational evening. Such a treat to see Jackie Kay
perform, and a first real life encounter too with my online favourite, poet AJ
McKenna. Also introduced me to astonishing work from Paula Varjack and Keith Jarrett
too. Seek them out.
Another personal favourite was STUD,
a bizarre and hilarious journey through masculinity and the world of horses (yes,
horses). Created and performed by a truly confident and accomplished performer,
like no other show on the bill the audience were in this performer’s hands
from the opening seconds. It’s hard to even describe the show or why it works
so well, suffice to say after twenty minutes you stop even noticing the
glorious pubic bush that’s constantly on show. It’s a piece that gently
terrorises gender, with a handsaw, a raw carrot, whatever comes to hand or hoof. Eilidh
McAskill, I salute you.
Still to come for me: Our Lady J, which will be a Valentine musical weekend
sensation, and a religious experience in the shape of Jesus Queen of Heaven, on
a Sunday of course… Full line up is here,
and check out the pics from my own Queer Contact event right here.
See you soon…!
