A chaotic, funny fever dream about growing up queer
Suitable for ages 16+.
On Monday night, I attended a viewing of the work-in-progress play Emotional Gangbang. Featuring French, queer LAMDA graduate Roy Mas, the story follows a queer performer who is riddled by flashbacks and hallucinations as they strive to deliver the performance of a lifetime.
The set design of Emotional Gangbang was fairly minimal, yet hilariously messy – with the wardrobe-on-wheels on the left, a cluttered table on the right, and an askew bed in the middle of the stage, the sight evoked a painfully relatable sense of nostalgia. As young people experiencing independence for the first time, we tend to realise that we have more material possessions than we can even fathom what to do with. Particularly for the protagonist, a femme gay person, every item and article of clothing holds sentimental value, dating back to an equally confusing childhood. Emotional Gangbang is a play about self-discovery. Although the protagonist is outwardly comfortable with how they move around in their body and the world, the play is a stark reminder that self-discovery is never really complete.
I have much praise to give to Roy Mas! They exude charisma from head to toe. Though Emotional Gangbang is short and not yet polished, Mas infuses an infectious energy and fun into their performance. They look truly comfortable on the stage, allowing the audience to see the comedy in the more painful moments. For example, the protagonist contends with their strict Christian upbringing and the pressures to conform to masculine ideals – though these come to them in the form of frightening ghosts, they hit back by rolling around on stage and delivering iconic insult after insult. The protagonist is so likeable, teaching us the importance of joy and humour in the face of darkness.
The sound design and music could be improved, I will say. The play opened with a lip-sync performance of Bonnie Tyler’s Total Eclipse of the Heart – though Mas was entertaining to watch, the song is four minutes and 28 seconds!! The performance did eventually feel overly long, which meant that the choreography towards the end seemed as if Mas was trying to kill time until the song was finally over. Also, the deep, ominous voices of the ghosts were often quite difficult to comprehend, so it was hard to tell exactly what the protagonist was fighting against. Even so, the play was thoroughly entertaining, with laughs just about every minute!
Emotional Gangbang is so authentically queer. The theatre has long been a brilliant place for queer people and our stories to thrive, and stories like these will always be entertaining. Though we do experience a lot of pain, fear, and bewilderment, our lives are also filled with boldness and fun. This play is bold, and it is FUN!!
Emotional Gangbang is a work which I believe has the potential to be brilliant. Kudos to everyone involved! And to Roy Mas – congratulations on having recently graduated from LAMDA, and for this fabulous feature that is your first play. You will go very far with your career, I have every faith!