Edinburgh Fringe 2023 – Reviews #3
by Brian Merriman

Blossoming (You Undo Me) Musical

Produced by LinkAge Arts
Director and Co-writer Xun Huang
Book and Lyric Writer by Stephanie Martin
Accompanist Lu Liu
Performed by Tao Deng

Gilded Ballon Patter Hoose  – Duration 60 minutes

Blossoming (You Undo Me) is the first ‘queer Asian musical’ about a young Chinese immigrant who finds his freedom in the UK while sacrificing his cultural ties with his home. This strong and lyrical, original queer solo musical show is set on a stage full of multi-purpose suitcases. We follow the central character’s (Tao) journey, physically and emotionally from the ‘One Child China’, where he is the second born.

Tao leaves China at the behest of his sympathetic Mother and sister, to study ‘Economy’ in the UK at 18. He is placed in the home of his Mother’s old friend Grace, where he starts learning about who he is, months before his university education begins. The melodic score is well sung by Deng (the show is dual cast with his alternate, the exotically named Apollo Ziegfeld) and well performed by on-stage accompanist Lu Liu.

Deng’s powerful vocals and dynamic range stand out. While singing in a second language can be a little difficult to grasp all the words, whatever is lost in sound is conveyed in the emotion of the performance. He is agile and deeply connected to the story, which clearly resonates with many young Chinese men, not only burdened by coping with their sexuality but also with the burden of their parent’s sacrifice to have a son to carry on the family name. This cultural clash is a driving point of the musical narrative.

After arriving at his new home in London, his housemate is a grounded, independent young man who eventually agrees to show him around and ‘break him in’. It is a love story, emerging onto the London gay scene, first love, and finally, the expression of the new self, as many young men do, through a drag alter ego.

Tao strives to survive it all, including the many lessons along the way, while retaining his empathy, compassion and love on the bumpy road to self-approval.  This may well be the first queer Asian musical story on stage, but it is a common story of many a young person who leaves family, culture and country behind, to break free in a new country. It is a worthy recipient of the Michael Ross Award.

30 and Out

Pleasance Baby Grand, Time: 12.45pm
Duration 60 minutes.

Written and performed by Kit Sinclair
Directed by Charlotte Ive
Producer Rebecca Prentice.

We meet the former ‘Kirsty’ who has just ended a 12-year relationship with childhood sweetheart Ethan. She is now 30 and renamed Kit. Kit is a lesbian, but has she left it too late to ‘come out’? What is a lesbian?

Writer Kit Sinclair did a lot of interviews with gay women all over the UK and uses the learning to illustrate her story of what it is to be a lesbian today. Sure, she loses her virginity, falls in and out of ‘love’, has a gay male VBF Darcy, and stumbles through while she tries to fast track her learning as she is ‘late’ coming out.

Sinclair has a bucket load of energy, humour and insight which enriches this story of fun, oranges, drama and song. She is political in that to her, community means standing with those who need allies. She is acutely aware that a public life as a lesbian is different from her life with Ethan.

The script is projected on screen and the dual screen usage separates the characters, who are introduced to guide her on her journey. Lesbian life and lifestyles are under the microscope of this new explorer, and despite the lure of the sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll scene, ‘Big Sue’ sets her straight.

Sinclair writes and performs a clear study of contemporary issues about coming out, lesbianism, settling down, meeting milestones and the validity of a binary view of life. The charm and engagement of her performance guided by Ive’s neat direction, brings us an hour of good theatre and further quality evidence that this type of story should no longer be a rarity in any diverse art form.

Pitch

Pleasance Courtyard – Time 15.45
Duration: 60 Minutes
Produced by November Theatre Company
Founder and Artistic Director Nell Bailey

Production credits for this illuminating story of a ‘queer’ soccer team are in short supply, which is a pity as there are definitely a stellar company. We meet five soccer players of all gender identities and sexual orientations, including a brother and sister, a lesbian couple and a trans footballer, who finally fits back into the soccer community, which was so much a part of their previous family life and culture.

Five young actors storm onto the stage in a well-choreographed inventive piece, that deals with the importance of difference and feeling at home in sport. Here, this group of talented players find their own space and their own team in ‘Muddy Studs United’, a five-a-side group with many more facets to their stories.

With a script developed by the talented cast, the dialogue is witty, revealing and enhances the use of recorded material from the mainstream debate, which fits nicely around this new story which is perfectly pitched!

What is really interesting is the acceptance or expectation that some women soccer players will be lesbian, but that few men can be gay. Neither are without the public jibes, online abuse and social exclusion.

Then, there is the limited space to include trans players, people who have had to give up their lifelong passion as well as coping with who they really are. ‘Bill’s’ monologue is quite the show-stopping moment in this fast-moving piece of fine theatre.

Our lesbian couple is full of wit and wisdom. It is a relationship that thrives on and off the pitch, despite ‘Chloe’ being convinced her presence is the reason why every team she likes, loses the game – there is great fun in this sub-plot, very well played by both partners.

The gay brother ‘Squid’, who was drummed out of soccer by the changing room taunts, and his gay sister, top scorer who faces other obstacles in fulfilling her professional career have another perspective on being different on the pitch.

The onstage dialogue, movement and plotline never falter, though the balance between onstage voice and tracks is uneven at times at a cost to the voices. It is a story of empowerment, of a real passion for soccer that meets all the boulders put in the way of including everyone in the beautiful game.

This is a team of beautiful performers, well-rounded characters, who play to change the game with all their generous hearts. It is a real uplifting, feel-good show that doesn’t pull its punches and defeats so much phobia by their passion and belief of the ‘Studs’.

‘Pitch’ makes it clear soccer is all the poorer today without the many qualities the exclusion of this diverse group would bring to the pitch and to the debate of inclusive sport. A well-conceived, directed, and delivered piece of theatre which is a joy to watch.