Pitch-excellent Fringe festival satire takes intention at straight culture’s representation of LGBTQ+ practical experience

Gay For Spend with Blake & Clay

Published by Curtis te Brinke and Daniel Krolik, directed by te Brinke. Tarragon Theatre Extraspace, 30 Bridgman Ave. Operates by July 16. Tickets at fringetoronto.com

The hilariously reducing premise of this satirical Fringe demonstrate is that two middle-aged homosexual actors, Blake (co-author Daniel Krolik) and Clay (Jonathan Wilson) are giving a seminar for straight actors about how to participate in homosexual — simply because that is the ticket to fantastic opinions and heaps of awards.

“Consider the Oscar wins by itself for these straight gentlemen who bravely limped their wrists on display,” offers Blake, listing Mahershala Ali in “Green Reserve,” Sean Penn in “Milk,” and Tom Hanks in “Philadelphia,” amongst many others.

“Those gold statues have been justly attained. Mainly because it’s not just a subject of throwing on a feather boa and some lesions,” the two proceed. “It can take talent, craft, resolve. And seeking superior in a knee-length silk kimono.”

I could go on quoting every line in this hour-very long play, since so quite a few of them are correctly calibrated mic drops.

The eight-aspect “seminar,” total with PowerPoint slides, covers subject areas which includes LGBTQ+ terminology (how to tell a bear from an otter from a twink) and how to play conventional homosexual times like “hairdresserly admonishments,” “wistfully talking about your dead aunt,” and “oversharing with your drama students.” Deftly, the show calls out stereotypes and hypocrisies in the leisure marketplace though offering fantastic satirical leisure.

Co-author Curtis te Brinke’s qualified way and the actors’ performances continue to keep matters transferring briskly alongside, partaking with audience laughter and groans with no dropping the tempo. Wilson’s tightly-wound manner and useless-on timing are primarily impressive.

Just when you think that the tone might not be sustainable, 1 of the characters’ artifice briefly crumbles to reveal anger and disappointment about the hypocrisies and limitations that preserve him from participating in his personal working experience. And just as immediately — and with a smart closing twist on a trope set up together the way — issues get wrapped up, and the viewers is remaining to savour the show’s many good laugh lines and the sharp factors it can make about representation and obligation.

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