Confessions of a Dancewhore

Published Monday 31 March 2008 at 10:25 by Paul Vale

A verbose drag act develops into an examination of the psyche of the modern gay man with the aid of show tunes.

Gin and tonics are handed out freely and victims are chosen from the audience to add authenticity to a drag queen’s banter. Then the whole thing turns on a penny to reveal a deeper examination contemporary gay life.

Michael Twaits slight frames slurs about the stage to embody the contradictions of the young gay man, living a life where all that matters are friends, parties and alcohol. The defiance he adopts against homophobia and the rage inside him battling a mass of contradictions hides the fact that in the end, all he wants is to be loved and understood on his own terms.

What raises Confessions above an angry young man’s rant is the mixed media of projection and images. It is a one-man show in name only, as technology allows Twaits to perform as part of his own chorus line or to interview himself on stage. There is also a guiding hand here, in the shape of mentor Bette Bourne and while his performance may benefit from further development, it does show great deal of promise for the future of queer theatre.