Review: My Son's A Queer, But What Can You Do? at the Garrick Theatre, London

The same day I saw Cabaret, my theatre tribe had tickets to a very special show - while I couldn't go with them at the time, I went for the performance the day after. Well, I had to; from what the community were saying, this was a very special piece of theatre. 

I remember Rob Madge performing as Gavroche in the 25th Anniversary Concert of Les Mis, as well as performing as Dodger with Jodie Prenger and the rest of the Oliver company on Children In Need. Now they're all grown up and became one of the saviours of lockdown thanks to all of their videos, both from their past and from their skits as light relief to keep us all sane. 

Fast forward a bit of time, they joined the cast of Bedknobs and Broomsticks as a camp Northern fish, and now they have their first show in the West End, following runs at the Turbine Theatre last year, and at the Edinburgh Fringe this summer. 

My Son's A Queer, But What Can You Do is based on their own childhood, performing shows in their living room, including a Disney Parade. Now Rob wants to revive that very parade right there on stage, going through the steps on how to put on a successful show in your home. 

What this becomes is a celebration of queerness, imagination, and also a love letter to Rob's very supportive family

Let's be honest, how many of us performed mini shows in their living room. I'm 90% sure I did, though nowhere near the kind of commitment that Rob had. How many of us were bullied and alienated at school for "not fitting in", no matter whether you were queer or not? Again, I was. 

Rob holds nothing back, and lets down all barriers, all with a smile on their face and a joke in hand. In fact, several of them. I laughed out loud a LOT.
But in the short time (it's only an hour long), they let us in on their obstacles growing up in a world who didn't want them. 

It sounds bleak on paper, but trust me, this is incredibly uplifting. There were many of both laughs and sobs in equal measure. 

This one-hour monologue may be one of the most essential things you see, if you do get chance to see it in its limited West End run. 

Afterwards, what I would advise the team, is to take this beautiful piece on tour: more audiences need a chance to see this. And not to be biased, I know of two places in Manchester it would work - either the Hope Mill, or the Quays Theatre in the Lowry would be the perfect spaces.