26th July But what can you do?

 


On Wednesday night TOM and I had a midweek jolly down to Derby to see a one man by Rob Madge show called 'My son's a queer: But what can you do? And it was an utter delight.

From a very young age Rob was obsessed with all things Disney but especially Cinderella and often attempted to stage full-blown Disney performances and parades in the family house. As Rob donned a wig and played Mary Poppins, Ariel, Mickey Mouse and Belle, his Dad doubled as stage manager, sound technician and multiple additional characters. 

Unfortunately, Dad missed all his cues, got the dialogue wrong and moved scenery at the wrong time. His Mum fared no better mistaking Aladdin for Ursula. The costumes went awry and Ariel’s bubble gun didn’t work properly. but Rob's Grandma had a nice time despite being whizzed round on a reclinign chair in an atttempt to recreate 'spinning teacups'.

Sat amongst a very boistrous LGBTQILMNOP+ audience it was a joyous, multimedia musical fairytale show using some wonderful clips from Rob's childhood showing his desire to always be centre stage and full frame whenever his Dad's video camera appeared. 

It was a show all about acceptance, identity, and how his wonderful family gave their precocious son and grandson room to perform and believe in his dreams. Despite and inspite of the barriers that others often put in his way.

It was an uplifting, thought provoking, moving, laugh out loud funny show punctuated with lots of ahha and ooh. And to top off a fabulous finale in which Rob managed to dress as a multitude of his favourite Disney characters, he revealed that his mum and dad there in audience, sat just a couple of rows in front of us. A moving end to a really fab night out

Having said that the funniest and most politically incorrect moment of the evening was when we arrived at the theatre and struggled to find somewhere to sit. Looking round the crowded foyer and bar area, TOM pointed across the room to a certain type of seating and said, "Oh I think there's a couple of free poofs over there." before realising just quite what he'd said. Laugh...I nearly wet myself!!!

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