When Rob was twelve, they attempted a full-blown Disney parade in their house for their Grandma. As Rob donned wigs and played Mary Poppins, Ariel, Mickey Mouse and Belle, their Dad doubled as Stage Manager, Sound Technician and Goofy.

Unfortunately, Dad missed all his cues and pushed all the floats in the wrong direction. Mum mistook Aladdin for Ursula. The costumes went awry. And Ariel's bubble gun didn't work properly. Grandma had a nice time, though.

My Son's a Queer (But What Can You Do?) is the joyous, chaotic, autobiographical story of actor, writer and social-media sensation Rob Madge as they set out to recreate that parade - and this time, nobody, no, nobody is gonna rain on it.

It was first performed at London's Turbine Theatre in June 2021, directed by Luke Sheppard, with music by Pippa Cleary - and starring Rob Madge as Rob Madge. It was a critical and commercial hit at the 2022 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and later that year transferred to the Garrick Theatre in London, to make the West End that little bit more queer.

The play won Best Off-West End Production at the 2022 WhatsOnStage Awards, the Theatre Award at the 2023 Virgin Atlantic Attitude Awards and was nominated for Best Entertainment or Comedy Play at the 2023 Olivier Awards. Rob Madge was joint winner of Best Creative West End Debut at the 2023 Stage Debut Awards.

This revised edition features the complete text of the play as performed in Edinburgh and the West End, including links to and transcriptions of the video footage, colour photographs and extra bonus content from the RDM* Productions Archive. It concludes with an afterword by Mum and Dad about the joys to be found in championing the creativity of children - and why playing Tinker Bell, with a smile, might be the best thing you can do for your kids, and for yourselves.

* Robert Dennis Madge

About the Author
Rob Madge is an actor and playwright whose debut play, My Son's a Queer (But What Can You Do?), was premiered at the Turbine Theatre, London, in 2021, was a critical and commercial hit at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2022, and transferred to the West End later that year. My Son's a Queer (But What Can You Do?) won Best Off-West End Production at the 2022 WhatsOnStage Awards, the Theatre Award at the 2023 Virgin Atlantic Attitude Awards, and was nominated for Best Entertainment or Comedy Play at the Olivier Awards. Rob Madge was joint winner of Best Creative West End Debut at the Stage Debut Awards in 2023.

Reviews

'A gorgeous celebration of what it's like to grow up queer with a supportive family... It will have you laugh, shed a tear and make you remember the magic that once took place in your childhood living room'

* Whatsonstage *

'Richly comical and very moving... My Son's a Queer offers something for everyone. A coming-of-age gay narrative... A pop culture love-in for fairytale fanboy/girls and everyone in between... And, most compellingly of all, a cri de coeur for parenting that, rather than splicing children into preordained pinks and blues, embraces them in their infinite expressive variety'

* Guardian *

'An affectionate, uplifting story with a strong, surprisingly universal message about pride, self-esteem and acceptance... a hilarious and deeply moving love-letter to the parents who embraced [Madge's] choices from an early age and encouraged them to soar'

* The Stage *

'Magical... will leave even the dourest Disney-phobic pessimist having a Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah sort of day'

* Reviews Hub *

'A blast of daft joy... carnivalesque, fantastical, theatrical, over-the-top and down the other side with a splash'

* TheatreCat *

'Equal parts joyful and profound... a five-star production packed with heart'

* Broadway World *


Awards
Winner of Best Off-West End Production, WhatsOnStage Awards 2022 and Theatre Award at the Virgin Atlantic Attitude Awards 2023. Nominated for Nominated - Best Entertainment or Comedy Play, Olivier Awards 2023.



Book Information
ISBN 9781839040122
Author Rob Madge
Format Paperback
Page Count 84
Imprint Nick Hern Books
Publisher Nick Hern Books