Boy In A Dress

In his exuberant cocktail of autobiographical monologues, cabaret musical interludes, avant-garde performance art and sensuous comedy, former stripper and fashion model La JohnJoseph earns the audience's attention from the moment he walks out on stage. One-person confessionals on sexuality and family dysfunction are rarely in short supply at the Fringe, so it is to JohnJoseph's credit that he quickly convinces us of the uniqueness of his misadventure-filled life.

At worst, a performer reflecting on their own personal history can seem narcissistic, with nothing for the audience to connect to. JohnJoseph, on the other hand, has the talent of a natural storyteller and places us in his shoes with skill. He saunters through a string of distinctively bizarre anecdotes that, in the hands of a lesser writer, might have made for just a few minutes of sustainable material, but he plays upon both the emotions of the audience as well as their sense of humour. As JohnJoseph explores his identity as a third-gendered fallen Catholic; remembers his troubled, much-married mother; and sardonically details the gulf between the glimmering dream of New York and the grim reality he discovered when he arrived, he never loses our interest, or sympathy.

The only portions of the show which slacken are when his philosophy becomes too abstract and strays from the story we have become so invested in. The music (a collection of wryly paraphrased cover versions) is almost uniformally excellent, thanks largely to JohnJoseph's singing voice, but sometimes seems too epic for such an intimate venue.