On a quick sabbatical from my sabbatical, I’ve dipped back to London for the month of July. How better to spend my first Saturday night than at my local theatre, watching a show called “Bitch! Dyke! Faghag! Whore!”.
The night before, I indulged in the things I’ve missed most over the last nine months — good wine and pork products — under giant banners reading:
LESBIAN
Mayor of London
and
TRANS
Mayor of London
in Trafalgar Square. London’s most public square was getting all gussied up for Satruday’s Pride parade. We take it for granted now that boys dressed in black latex and pink feather boas kiss in public, but in a show that’s just turned 20 Penny Arcade, aka Susana Ventura, reminds us how very hard fought a victory that was. She and I differ, perhaps, on how that past should shape the behaviour of later generations, those who have mercifully not been condemned to live in closets and funeral parlours, but differences are what good drama are all about. And Penny reminds us, too, (particularly in a funny opening riff on the current “controlled for gain” morass) of how far we still have to go. All wrapped around some of the most heart-stopping pole dancing you’ll see outside of the Olympic gymnastics ring.
Have a pint or two and go see for yourself.
