Going in blind meant I really didn't know what to expect. We entered the theatre to see someone sitting in the corner of the room with their back turned us. We are greeted by Cosmo, who recounts us the story of their first sexual encounter, the person they were doing it with neglecting to tell them they were on their period, so it is a little bit of a shock for them when they found out.
We journey with them through their discovery of their identity, watching "The Rocky Horror Picture Show", Cosmo says they don't really remember what they felt or thought but that the next day they cut their own hair with some scissors so it must be what caused them to relate to their identity.
We learn more of their coming out and their social groups, how they lost friends along the way, and how when they partied, they would get new friends every few weeks. We learn of the trans ally men who cross boundaries and give the feeble excuse of, "I've never done something like that before, I just thought it would be something you would be into" to take advantage of people who don't get an advantage in life. Your heart breaks for Cosmo as they admit that they knew the way people treated them was wrong but confessed to us, "I wanted someone to look at me the way I imagined they would, so if I did everything they wanted, sometimes they would."
When we look at recent politics in the UK, we have unfortunately let the trans community down. Our supreme court rulings are an embarrasing chapter of what will be our history. Plays like this don't try to dive into an us against them movement but rather lend a voice to a community that never really gets a chance to speak. Most people's ideas of trans people are either a glitz and glammer Hollywood message or a derogatory hate-filled protest. I truly feel that everyone should be brought to see this play to see the reality of the trauma, hurt, and challenges trans people have to face. You wish workplaces could hire out shows like this the same way that schools hire theatre group to talk about mental health and drug abuse. As much as it benefits young people to hear these stories, it would also benefit the older generation to hear the human side of these issues rather than the hateful idea of trans people that exists online.
We already know Cosmo is hit by a car, we know that it was done as a hate crime, but what we don't know are the pains added to the already established pain of being hit by a speeding vehicle. On top of the struggling to breathe, the peeing into a bag, the surgeries, the recovery time, there are the pains of having the Gardaí [Irish police force] use your dead name when interviewing you, having your friends not talk about it all because it brings down the mood of the smoking area, and the man who widened his eyes in rage as he sped up his car and hit you to intentionally, hurt you for just simply existing, getting off with a suspended sentence because he was a "good lad" who made a mistake.
I cried a lot during this production, and I cried some more as I wrote this review. I don't discriminate against the trans community, but it certainly made me wonder if I'm doing enough to help. This show is neccessary for the times we live in, and it's necessary when we overcome this terrible time that we live in so that we don't ever take a step back again.
I am honoured to award this show a Fantasttic Fringe Award. Roadkill is only running until August 9th in The Space on The Royal Mile, so snap up tickets whilst you can!
Are there any queer based shows that you've seen or are excited to see? If so please suggest them in the comments, and remember to have a fantastic fringe! 😁
Love,
Tony x
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