A disarmingly honest and darkly comical queer coming of age story.
Naughty is a darkly comic queer coming of age tale written and performed by Andrew Houghton of Pink Milk Theatre. This one-man show is a semi-autobiographical piece following Andrew’s first ‘unstable steps into the world of gay sex and queer identity; all under the increasingly imposing guidance of Kevin, a teacher at his drama academy.’ The show was staged with success as part of the Camden Fringe Festival back in 2021, raking in four and five star reviews, the show was also nominated for an OffFest award. Pink Milk are now taking Naughty on a tour of the UK, starting with a week-long run at the Hen & Chickens in London before journeying up north to Manchester, Hull, and then Cardiff.
The Hen & Chickens is a cosy little pub theatre situated in the N1 area. The intimacy of this space lends itself perfectly to Naughty. With a stage completely empty but for a clear plastic chair in the centre and a projector screen hanging on the back wall this intimacy was more amplified.
Andrew kicks off the performance with an honest and good-natured joke about himself being the ‘star of the show’, immediately involving the audience and setting up the direct-address as genuine and conversational. This comical beginning is interrupted by an unwelcome text from older ex-drama tutor Kevin. As Andrew struggles to keep control of his story these texts become increasingly distracting for him until finally, he confronts the messages and the play truly begins.
What ensues is a reflection of Andrew’s experiences as a gay teenager in Hull – we explore the ups and downs of his first homosexual relationship, his anxieties and fears he faces at school and his desire to move away from his own internalised homophobia and proudly solidify his identity. Hanging over this story is the intruding presence of Kevin. An over-friendly drama teacher at Andrew’s acting academy, Kevin starts out as a person from whom Andrew can seek advice about his sexuality and his identity. This ‘relationship’ swiftly takes a darker turn. The messages become alarming, inappropriate, and invasive, until they reach a tone which is explicitly sexual and predatory. As the story progresses Andrew’s nervous habits and tics amplify, Houghton expertly portrays his discomfort and anxieties while maintaining a clear message throughout the show that Kevin had crossed the line.
The texts in question are projected up on the screen behind Andrew, as well as narrated by an unseen voice. My only criticism here is that the messages sent on Andrew’s part, in white text on a bright green background, were near-impossible to read. That said, this was not all that much of an issue as the majority of the texts were read out by Houghton.
While the writing of the play is strong overall I do feel that some moments served as anecdotes somewhat irrelevant to the storyline, however these moments were few and far between.
Throughout the piece Andrew recreates conversations with friends, family and teachers, all of whom he portrays himself. Houghton switches deftly between roles, adapting his body language, posture and accents with a brilliant effectiveness and clarity. Returning to previous characters no re-introduction was needed, so clear were his physical and vocal adjustments. Undertaking a one-man show is an ambitious task, from writing to performing it can be exhausting and it is difficult to keep up the energy throughout such a substantial piece when the performer has no one else onstage to rely on or bounce off. Despite this, Andrew did an excellent job of keeping the audience totally engaged in his story, particularly since it is such an exposing and personal tale to tell.
The play finishes with a letter to Andrew’s 16-year-old self, a positive and heart-felt finale celebrating acceptance and self-worth. Houghton has juggled with many sensitive topics throughout this piece successfully, and it was (although, of course, painfully uncomfortable at times) a joy to watch. If you have the opportunity I recommend you get down to one of the upcoming tour dates!