TESTO – Dublin Fringe Festival – Review

TESTO – Wet Mess – Presented by Dublin Fringe Festival
Performances – 9 – 10 Sept, 21:00

Venue – Project Arts Centre – Space Upstairs

The blurb for TESTO tells us to “expect surreal spectacles, dykey desires, and a choreography of guttural sexuality”.  There’s a striking image of an androgynous form dressed in flamboyant clothing against a neon sign. It’s another trip into the world of Trans from the Dublin Fringe Festival, exploring people’s perceptions through dance, lip-syncing and spectacle.

The stage features a short catwalk, with a pair of flamboyant curtains behind. There is a short introduction, where an LED screen shows text, bringing us on an imaginative journey. In the final moments, it tells us that, ‘This is not a Dream’. At this point, our main protagonist, ‘Wet Mess’, takes over in this intense, visceral performance.

Wet Mess does not speak for the duration of the show. Instead, they lip sync to short excerpts of dialogue taken from a myriad of sources. We hear discussions on what testosterone can do to the female body, the changes in appearance, hair and muscle tone. Wet Mess acts out these changes and takes the audience on a journey through masculinity from an external perspective. There are moments of high-octane dance, while other moments feel closer to a strip show. Wet Mess waves to the audience who scream and clap.

It is half drag act, half social discussion on the perception of masculinity and gender. There are insights and shocks in equal measure. It is lewd and thoughtful, vulgar and intelligent. The contradictions are all part of the show, as Wet Mess titulates both mind and more base desires.

TESTO – Dublin Fringe Festival 

Produced by Metal & Water, supported by Arts Council England. Commissioned by Cambridge Junction, The Yard Theatre & Wysing Arts Centre.

Commissioned by The Yard Theatre, Wysing Arts Centre, Cambridge Junction.