Trans People Are Awful is currently playing at The Pleasance Courtyard, Bunker One until 31st August as part of the Edinburgh Fringe. The thing is, the run is completely sold out, and it’s no wonder why.
This play is a riveting edge-of-your-seat true crime meets dark comedy exploration of a trans guy’s hardship in easing his gender dysphoria. Rather than going down the route of NHS surgery and joining the ridiculous waiting list, they decide to abduct and murder cis men to make use of the victim’s best parts and try to pass as a cis man themselves.
Scottish creative Ros Watt’s unflinching, brutal and visceral script is the best text I have seen so far at this year’s Fringe. You are hooked from the offset, and welcome the exploration of this troubled human’s thoughts, feelings, admissions, and meltdowns. The craziest thing is Watt creates a serial killer that the audience sympathizes with. The 60 minutes fly by as you are taken on this absurd and gory rollercoaster. This unfiltered approach is laced with genius comedic nuance and real emotional guttural punches that leave the audience in hysterics one moment and in tears the next. This exploration of body dysmorphia, gender expectations, and human flaws is truly profound and stays with you long after you’ve left the theatre.
Ros’ performance is stellar as the boy. Their energy never dips, the emotion bursts through them and truly reaches the erratic state needed to fully realise this character. The portrayal of this character never truly feels performative, even with the absurdity, there is a sense of realism and Ros embraces the unhinged flaws to their full potential. With this it’s so liberating to see trans representation in such a unique and creative light.
On a side note, as a neurodivergent creative, it’s great to see plays such as Trans People Are Awful take the risk, hold the weight of the intended connotations and ultimately allow the writer (and performer in this case) the creative license to be unapologetically different in how they approach a talking point. When writers such as Watt platform their voice to bring diamonds such as this to the stage, it will hopefully encourage others whose minds supply such vivid artistry from an alternative perspective to put pen to paper.
Trans People Are Awful is an unapologetically gory, unfiltered, powerful, and humorous play. Composed by a stellar writer and performer who explores trans struggles and inner conflict with such intuitive creativity.
Performances are completely sold out; possible returns available at The Pleasance Courtyard box office.
Tickets are still available for the London transfer playing Camden People’s Theatre this October – https://cptheatre.co.uk/whatson/Trans-People-Are-Awful-26
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