REVIEW: MUST BE THIS GAY TO RIDE by Kate Hammer at The Hope Theatre 17-19th August

‘From the first sentence Danny has the audience on side’ ★★★ ½

MUST BE THIS GAY TO RIDE is a brilliantly hilarious, relatable, thought-provoking show that questions the unspoken hierarchy of the LGBTQ+ community, and how lonely it can be to simply exist within it.

Kate Hammer writes and performs this one-person play, as Danny – a pansexual nearly-30-year-old who is naturally funny, chaotic, and earnest. Her running jokes and call-backs fuel the story, accompanied by her PowerPoint intermissions and direct address to the audience – akin to an experienced stand-up comic. On the night, she handled the technical difficulties as if written into the script which, if anything, added to the show’s chaos and amplified the ‘bits’ (reminiscent of The Play That Goes Wrong, or something to that effect).

It was refreshing to see a queer story that openly criticised the toxic positivity often found within the LGBTQ+ community. As a queer person myself I thoroughly enjoyed Danny’s cutting observations, ‘explicit’ humour, and vulnerable inner monologues, that greatly encompasses the feeling of not being ‘enough’.

Sometimes, the props and set changes felt like an unnecessary excess, often slowing the pace of the joke-a-minute format and causing the more vulnerable moments to lose impact. I believe the script is strong enough to carry the show without some of the added extras – from the first sentence Danny has the audience on side, we are happy to follow her wherever she goes. This affected the non-linear structure too: a format that worked well to tell the story but was sometimes confusing as our context clues were solely tied to the minimalistic set.

Ultimately, I had a great time watching MUST BE THIS GAY TO RIDE, and I hope more theatre challenges the inner workings of their communities like Hammer did so well. The running of the show could be slicker – if anything to allow us to see more of Hammer’s brilliant writing.

MUST BE THIS GAY TO RIDE

written by Kate Hammer

directed by Rasheka Christie-Carter

produced by Frankie Regalia

stage managed by Stella Wang

BOX OFFICE: https://www.thehopetheatre.com/productions/must-be-this-gay-to-ride/

Review by Anna Rastelli