We sent our reviewer James to watch Kinder

Goody Prostate bowls onto the down-at-heel bedsit set of KINDER a mess of leather and Lederhosen with a red bejewelled heart on the bum and a face-full of make-up strikingly redolent of Joel Grey’s iconic MC in Cabaret. In keeping with this aesthetic, there is then an accomplished high-energy lip sync to a German music track, cartwheel and all, and boom we’re into the show.

The joke that follows, setting the whole premise in motion is groan-worthy in the extreme (although funny) and I have to admit I was a little apprehensive that the piece wouldn’t live up to the promise of that visually arresting opening. I needn’t have worried as it soon settles into its stride using the backdrop of a drag reading hour at a local library to explore what it means to grow up, to be the one that helps a child grow up, to grow up as a society, and the mistakes that will inevitably be made along the way.

The narrative, such as it is, is very slight, but Ryan Stewart’s performance is more than engaging enough and the questions posed deep enough to make this a benefit not a loss. Much about this show is deceptively simple which speaks to the craft of its construction. Goody Prostate is a fascinating character inviting us to get ready with them as they constantly get distracted by bigger questions and have to remind themselves to concentrate on the here and now. There is also some simple, but exquisite use of lighting on a couple of occasions which really evoke a sense of child-like wonder.

There are one or two brief moments where the interweaving of personal and global history, fascinating and important though it is, only just avoids becoming too lecture-like. But even here it is softened through chiffon and lipstick and it’s not long before the next fabulous costume change and lip sync. As a queer person, there is also a difficult to define sense that this piece is tapping into a fundamental truth about queer personhood and what gifts that has to offer us all in our understanding of growing up human.

This is a fun, funny, and moving piece tackling large, complex themes with a beautiful, clear and very enjoyable deftness of touch. Put down the knitting, the book, and the broom, it’s time to go and see KINDER.

RATING: **** 4 Stars

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