By Yotam Livni, Third Year Philosophy
Brenda Callis’s new production, Smalltown Boy, is messy, camp and unapologetic – just like its main character ‘Edie,’ a young drag queen who has recently experienced the loss of their partner, ‘Leo.’ This 75-minute, dialogue-led drama is full of heart and humour, using drag performance to explore isolation, grief, healing, homophobia and community as it thrusts our star into a small town on the coast of Cornwall to meet Leo’s family, which Edie had never heard of…
How do we protect the memories of the people we’ve lost? And how do we remain connected to them?
The story continues as we follow Edie to this small rural town expecting to be met with hostile homophobia or worse. Instead, Edie finds something unexpected in its place. Somewhere to grieve, exploring unfamiliar emotions and potentially a new community to heal with. Of course when facing new journeys, particular struggles and hard truths raise questions along this path, some which may be unanswerable. It’s quite difficult to ask questions of the dead.
Edie is played by Elliot Ditton, who seems born for the role. A seasoned drag performer, Ditton won Drag Idol UK 2023 under the persona ‘Fruit ‘n’ Fibre.’
Elliot’s experience is perfectly suited to this production. From the very first moment the show incorporates drag performance, with Edie returning to the stage at a show in Bristol, which allows for some great engagement and immersion with the audience. This escape into drag performance repeats throughout the production often at times as a break from the drama to explore the emotional state of different characters.
Alongside Edie, we are met with three others: Hannah (Shiquerra Robertson Harris), Leo’s childhood best friend and sweetheart; Steven (Theo Cowan), Hannah’s well-meaning but often inadequate partner; and Leo’s mother, Claire (Kate Milner-Evans). Milner-Evans steals the show in one very emotional scene as she is overcome with the pain and isolation caused by her grief and regrets regarding her son.
Interesting to me is that the show seems to borrow its title from a 1984 hit by Bronski Beat, written by lead singer Jimmy Somerville. An autobiographical song he wrote based on growing up in a homophobic small town that made staying there impossible. The song, similar to the show, explores themes of isolation as well as searching for safety and community. One may speculate that Leo, a character the entire story revolves around yet is never seen, found solace in this song as many young members of the LGBTQ+ community did. Like Somerville, he may have felt compelled to leave a place where he couldn’t comfortably be himself.
The song itself interweaves its painful subject matter with upbeat music in what makes for an accessible and timeless message, and this show does no less, interspersing drag performance with the emotional dramatic discourse revolving around Leo’s death and the grief and healing that follows.
Another notable scene that exhibits some impressive performances from the whole cast is what I can best describe as a nightmarish dream-sequence that explores Stevens' emotional reckoning with his realisation that he may harbour some homophobia and be guilty of not pressing those he considers his friends against theirs.
But as James Baldwin wrote;
“I imagine one of the reasons people cling to their hates so stubbornly is because they sense, once hate is gone, they will be forced to deal with pain.”
This insight resonates deeply within the play, where characters are forced to re-evaluate the way they see and treat others constantly so that they can come to terms with their own pain and sufferings and finally heal from this. Something they realise they cannot achieve alone but with the community they forge from within this shared grief they’ve experienced.
Brenda Callis writes an amazing script, and it’s clear she’s well-researched and passionate about focusing on under-represented and unheard stories that bring both tears and cheers from the audience.
The set itself is relatively simple. It consists primarily of a long stage – perfect for the drag performances – as it ran through the middle of the space. On one side a couch and bar/kitchen. On the other side, a kitchen table with two chairs. Even with a relatively small space and simple set, use of lighting and actor placement helped the space feel very well-utilised in its storytelling.
With such great performances and innovative use of drag – the staging is liberated through movement, sound and lighting – the show guarantees an engaging, extravagant experience. You will be entertained, but also deeply moved by its heartfelt scenes, courtesy of an amazingly-written script.
I know I’m certainly excited to see what else is in store for Brenda Callis and ‘The Project People.’ Till then, keep an eye out of for Shiquerra Robertson Harris own play titled, CrySis, that she is currently writing as well as a theatre show OUT OUT that her company, 7or8Theatre are currently devising for Fringe.
A well-deserved congratulations to the entire creative team. The creative industry is highly collaborative and relies on so many interworking talents and people, and they should receive recognition – for without them we’d have no shows, films or arts of any kind to see, so let’s have it for all the creatives who don’t get enough credit.
Laura Sawyer
Featured image: Artwork: Chris Clegg / Photo: Seb Alexander
Have you been to the Bristol Old Vic?
