REVIEW: IDENTITY KALEIDOSCOPE at Bread and Roses Theatre 22 - 26 October 2024

‘D’Filth subverts clichés with comedic ease ★★★★ 

"Identity Kaleidoscope" is a whirlwind cabaret that plunges headfirst into the contradictions, laughter, and struggles of navigating East Asian, queer, and migrant identities in contemporary British society. This one-person show, performed by multi-talented Emily Haldane, AKA D’Filth Drag, combines drag, clowning, mime, lip-syncing and digital presentations, actively inviting the audience to laugh at the absurd and painful journey of living out of the boxes.

The performance opens on a dreary, rainy backdrop paired with the peppy, nostalgic sounds of vaudeville—a juxtaposition that sets the tone for the evening: jarring, unexpected, and full of ironies. This contrast is embodied in D’Filth’s entrance as a shivering, makeup-clad clown trudging through the cold. She moves feebly, carrying both the literal and metaphorical weight of her character’s journey to the stage. It’s the beginning of a narrative that draws out the humour and pathos of rejecting—and being rejected by—society’s categories.

Throughout the show, D’Filth deftly explores the tiers of laughter: the laughter that helps one assert their place in the world, the laughter that dulls the edges of personal suffering, and finally, the laughter that rebels against societal norms. Her anecdotes span childhood to adulthood, including a series of “almost” relationships, most notably through the world of dating apps, where the comedy of cultural misalignment and misunderstanding hits close to home. From “too Asian” to “not Asian enough,” D’Filth's stories expose the thin but often painful lines drawn by cultural and sexual expectations. This tension especially resonates in the queer experience, where rigid Western and Eastern views clash and often exclude those who don’t fit neatly into boxes.

Her use of East Asian stereotypes is both a critique and an invitation. Playing with tropes and expectations, D’Filth brings light to the sometimes surreal experience of being “boxed in” by identity and then subverts these clichés with comedic ease. She invites the audience to consider the absurdity of labels—how we give them power, yet how flimsy they become when confronted with genuine self-expression.

At the end of the show, D’Filth asks the audience to remove her makeup, a symbolic gesture to pee off the stereotypes and facades imposed by society to reveal something raw and unfiltered underneath. By celebrating the unique yet universal contradictions of identity, D’Filth beautifully delivers an ode to self-embrace through laughter.

Box office https://www.breadandrosestheatre.co.uk/