Bittlestone really shines in his storytelling
Rocketing into his Fringe debut, Mark Bittlestone’s I Need a Straight Guy is a tight one-hour journey about coming out, being on the scene, and, ultimately, why so many of the gay stereotypes that Bittlestone often pastiches on his social media have a great deal of heart behind them. Appearing at the top of the show in a rhinestoned England strip, Bittlestone has a confidence of a stand-up who has done dozens of Fringes – his crowd work is excellent, if sometimes going on a little bit too long. It certainly adds to his comedy – especially in the case of the performance I watched, in which a very dry Dutch couple were giving him a run for his money. Full of quick callbacks and brilliant multimedia elements, the show also seeks to dissect, in a small way, Bittlestone’s internet persona, and how that is impacted by his identity. No spoilers, but: the Facebook screenshots are a highlight.
Where Bittlestone really shines is in his storytelling – his affectations, his set-ups – are all clearly rehearsed, but feel spur-of-the-moment. At times, Bittlestone seemed to be making himself laugh, and that made us laugh – it felt as though he was sharing these stories at a hungover debrief, rather than a stand-up stage. Indeed, a lot of the show is about poking fun at the ridiculousness of the gay male community – its beauty standards, its raves, its dating apps. But as the show’s only turn into seriousness comes along, right near the end, Bittlestone appears to be making a point about self-preservation through self-ridicule. He may send his his fellow queers up – but its a community he’s proud to be a part of, warts (or piles) and all.
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/mark-bittlestone-i-need-a-straight-guy