‘A fiercely funny and deeply moving exploration of selfhood and queerness’
From costuming and music to the script itself, everything about Ryan Stewart’s KINDER is a fantastic celebration of queer identity and childhood. What begins as a brilliant comedic set-up – what if a drag performer mistakes a ‘reading hour’ for “reading” (as in making fun of) hour? – spirals into a beautiful deep-dive into a three-act performance of identity, storytelling, and the precarious position of queer people in today’s world.
The beautiful thing about KINDER is how it refuses comedic simplicity. A character like Goody may be easy for some lesser comedians to make two-dimensional, a character the audience only laughs at, not with. Stewart resists this, revealing layers of vulnerability to their character, with deep emotional arcs (and incredible costuming to boot) that resonates not just with me as a queer reviewer, but with the audience as a whole.
The pacing is breathless but never rushed, the audience careening between belly laughs and throat lumps. There’s an improvised electricity to the performance. Whether or not it’s actually scripted that way, the show feels like it’s being made up on the spot, and that spontaneity is wonderful.
Crucially, KINDER doesn’t flatten queerness into anything easy and palatable. Instead, it leans into complexity, showcasing queerness not as a teachable moment, but as something messy, joyful, difficult, and real. Goody doesn’t neuter their drag—they adapt it, evolve it, and in doing so, reflect a deeper truth. Drag, like identity, is a tool for survival, storytelling, and self-making.
For me, KINDER is not just clever; it’s cathartic. For any individual who has ever struggled with being themselves in a world that doesn’t seem like it wants to accept you, KINDER is the show to watch.
(KINDER is on at the Edinburgh Fringe from the 1st to the 24th of August at the Underbelly, Cowgate. Buy your tickets here: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/kinder)