The subject of being transgender and what that actually involves can be a complex subject to deal with. Outbox Theatre’s current production And The Rest Of Me Floats devised by the company of Josh Enright – he/him/she/her , Barry Fitzgerald – he/him, Elijah W Harris – he/him, Emily Joh Miller – she/her, Tamir Amar Pettet – they/them, Miiko Toiviainen – he/him Yasmin Zadeh – she/her/they/them and skilfully directed by Ben Buratta is a provocative and powerful hour of social commentary about attitudes to being transgender. This cast of exceptional talent talk about faith, failure and guilt with an honesty that is totally absorbing. The use of fashion show style catwalk strutting and pacing, beautifully explores and explains that body movement can also tell a story and this combined with precise spoken speeches took this remarkable piece of contemporary theatre to a unique place.
This could be considered experimental theatre but to its credit it also makes the piece intriguing – and full of potential if developed even further. The seriousness of the piece must also be mentioned as the subject of ‘internet shaming’, a new form of bullying, is covered in great detail with company members telling of their experiences of this. An issue which must be tackled. There is an ethereal quality to this show that creates a vibe where gender is not an issue and the fusion of masculine to feminine and vice versa – and where culture and beliefs are also brought into the mix – made for a show that sparkled and shone. If you come away from this show more informed about the transgender community then this stunning group of people have achieved what I believed their aim was, and also leaving with a smile on your face is not such a bad thing.
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And The Rest Of Me Floats runs to 23rd September (excluding 17th, 18th) at Rose Lipman Building, 43 De Beauvoir Road N1 5SQ. www.outboxtheatre.com
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