No I.D. - Royal Court Upstairs
Apr 25, 2023 21:49:22 GMT
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drmaplewood, vickyg, and 2 more like this
Post by Steve on Apr 25, 2023 21:49:22 GMT
Saw this tonight, and LOVED it. This is a funny, entertaining, honest, illuminating and loveable, hour long, one person show about trans identity and how to register such an identity officially.
If you loved Rob Madge's one person show, it's likely you'll love Tatenda Shamiso's one person show too, as, if you imagine a Venn diagram, there is a warm, humorous, musical theatre core, complete with recordings of the past, to both shows.
Then there are parts of the Venn diagram that are separate and equally interesting, where this show is additionally about black identity, immigrant identity, female to male transition, the bureaucracy of government identity documents.
But at its core, both are warm, funny, loving and entertaining shows that leave you wanting more.
Some spoilers follow. . .
Tatenda used to be Thandiwe, and one really wonderful thing is how much love Tatenda has for Thandiwe. There is an intelligent, original and honest mind behind this work, a willingness to cut through culture wars and just be a person, an endearing, funny and unique person, with illuminating and hilarious insights and jokes pouring out for the full 60 minutes.
Like Rob Madge's show, we see old footage of Thandiwe as a "musical theatre kid" (though there is a lot less of it here), and we also hear a great many moving musical compositions recorded by both Thandiwe and Tatenda. Extra specially, we get to experience in the show the moment one becomes the other.
A Harry Potter kid, Thandiwe once looked up to JK Rowling "like a God," and although Tatenda says not one word criticising her former idol, it does seem a shame Rowling has tumbled into the culture war technique of finding the worst people on the other side of her argument, and then tarring a whole marginalised group with that most negative brush. Tatenda, and Thandiwe before him, are unique and wonderful people, and don't need to be grouped, marginalised, and even demonised, by that dishonest and broad brush.
This show is a salve against the negativity of culture wars, and importantly, it's funny. 4 stars from me.
If you loved Rob Madge's one person show, it's likely you'll love Tatenda Shamiso's one person show too, as, if you imagine a Venn diagram, there is a warm, humorous, musical theatre core, complete with recordings of the past, to both shows.
Then there are parts of the Venn diagram that are separate and equally interesting, where this show is additionally about black identity, immigrant identity, female to male transition, the bureaucracy of government identity documents.
But at its core, both are warm, funny, loving and entertaining shows that leave you wanting more.
Some spoilers follow. . .
Tatenda used to be Thandiwe, and one really wonderful thing is how much love Tatenda has for Thandiwe. There is an intelligent, original and honest mind behind this work, a willingness to cut through culture wars and just be a person, an endearing, funny and unique person, with illuminating and hilarious insights and jokes pouring out for the full 60 minutes.
Like Rob Madge's show, we see old footage of Thandiwe as a "musical theatre kid" (though there is a lot less of it here), and we also hear a great many moving musical compositions recorded by both Thandiwe and Tatenda. Extra specially, we get to experience in the show the moment one becomes the other.
A Harry Potter kid, Thandiwe once looked up to JK Rowling "like a God," and although Tatenda says not one word criticising her former idol, it does seem a shame Rowling has tumbled into the culture war technique of finding the worst people on the other side of her argument, and then tarring a whole marginalised group with that most negative brush. Tatenda, and Thandiwe before him, are unique and wonderful people, and don't need to be grouped, marginalised, and even demonised, by that dishonest and broad brush.
This show is a salve against the negativity of culture wars, and importantly, it's funny. 4 stars from me.
