Throughout the Fringe season, we always seem to stumble across shows that not only challenges our thinking, but also entertains us. No mean feat in itself!
Alfie Ordinary, a ‘Drag Prince’, does just that in a superb display of intellectual flamboyancy, telling—and singing—a story about the moment he realised that he was ‘fabulous’.
Dressed in a stunningly sequined school uniform, Alfie wows us from the beginning—humorously explaining to us a narrative about his time in Madame LeCoq’s Preparatory School For Fabulous Boys.
Alfie adopts a perfect balance of storytelling and tunes; playing recognisable hits on his keyboard that not only fit the plotline but also keeps the audience upbeat and engaged for sixty minutes.
Outside the confident bravado that Alfie portrays in being fabulous—an obvious euphemism—this story has important connotations of how everyone deserves to feel comfortable in their own skin.
Don’t panic though; the show does so well to avoid being preachy. ‘Help!’ merely provides a perspective to which you probably haven’t given much thought (ironically, part of the problem addressed in the show). There are plenty of poignant moments in between the laughs, especially where we learn about Alfie’s friend who has to hide his ‘fabulousness’ from his parents.
For those who don’t subscribe to the notions of current-day gender norms, you will love the wit of this show! For those that do, well, it’s likely that Alfie and his school bus of progressiveness will leave you behind.
It’s 2018. You might as well jump on board.
★★★★ 4/5 stars
‘Help! I Think I Might Be Fabulous’ will be playing at Royal Croquet Club on 21 Feb-25 Feb, 28 Feb-4 Mar, 7 Mar-12 Mar, and 14 Mar-18 Mar. Tickets can be purchased online or via the Fringe Box Office.
Image: alfieordinary.com
