Fringe Review: THE HETEROSEXUALS, Bothie at Gilded Balloon Patter House
We all know the Edinburgh Fringe is a place to learn something new. This year, Johnnie McNamara Walker is here to teach us about something we thought we already understood: heterosexuality.
And frankly, it’s about time someone investigated. The Heterosexuals throws us into a secret meeting where the queer members of the audience can finally discuss the strange creatures that walk among us every day: The Straights. What follows is an hour of storytelling, satire, audience interaction and some wonderfully ridiculous observations about what makes heterosexual culture… well, heterosexual.
But beneath the jokes is something much more personal. Walker uses the show to explore their own journey through growing up queer, the pressure to conform to what society considers “normal”, and what happens when you finally stop trying to fit yourself into somebody else’s idea of who you should be.
And Walker is an absolute force on stage.
The performance is energetic, physical and completely committed to the premise, with Walker effortlessly jumping between personal storytelling and comedy. There’s a real sense that the audience is being brought into the joke rather than simply watching it, and that makes the whole thing feel like a gloriously inappropriate group therapy session.
The cleverest thing about The Heterosexuals is that the joke never needs to be particularly complicated. Take something that queer people have spent their lives being told is the default, flip the perspective and suddenly being straight looks weird.
And if you’re straight? Congratulations. For the next hour, you’re the subject of the experiment. But what we were grateful to see is that this show isn't an attack on heterosexuality. If you are a straight member of the audience, you don't sit there being made to feel bad about your existence, you simply get to see the perspective flipped.
What could easily have been an hour-long roast actually develops into something much warmer. Underneath the jokes about straight people, there’s a genuinely touching story about identity, acceptance and finding the confidence to stop apologising for who you are.
We came away with one clear message, which was worth the whole experience, and something we needed to hear that day….LOVE YOURSELF! Queer people have had to learn to love themselves inexplicably, whoever you are, loving yourself should always be top of your priority list!
The Heterosexuals is exactly the sort of loud, proud, personal and gloriously queer show that makes the Fringe so special.
**** Four stars
Reviewed by: James Edge
The Heterosexuals plays at Edinburgh Festival Fringe until 31 Aug, with further info here.
