Tender, funny, and intelligent – a very good night out
‘Fixing’ is part memory play, part drag show car mechanics course, written by Peader Kirk and Matt Miller, who also performs the piece, alone.
For what is apparently their first foray into drag, those elements of the show are very effective, providing a humorous foil to the rest of the show but also becoming part of the narrative in subtle ways which add layers of complexity.
Its success is completely dependent on the audience interaction running all the way through, with the vast majority of the dialogue directly addressing the audience in both the drag scenes and the storytelling-style flashbacks to Matt’s childhood and his parents’ divorce.
Fortunately, Matt Miller is great at crowd-work, especially in his role as Matt’s drag alter ego Natalie, adapting and improvising his performance in response to their reactions. It was lovely to see all the people brought on and how enthusiastic they were to take part in the show. One member, after being told they had a lovely smile, returned the compliment and later on had a much flirtier exchange involving coolant leaks. Natalie guides the crowd through a sequence of physical movements representing a car starting, and a selection of ‘volunteers’ are brought up for more hands-on, more innuendo-soaked tutorials on checking tyres and using dipsticks, for example.
In the more traditionally theatrical sequences, Miller still has moments of physical comedy, but the performance is more muted as he narrates Matt’s childhood experiences, doing lots of impressions of his father. Miller’s performance is hypnotic both as Matt and as Natalie, and the heart of the piece is in the exploration of his relationship with his dad.
The sound design and music is great throughout, especially the repetition of ‘Brand New Cadillac’ each time Matt changes into Natalie while getting the audience to clap along. As ‘Fixing’ goes on, the costume changes begin to interrupt Matt’s emotional confessions, highlighting the emotional suppression of Matt and his dad. By bringing the audience into these rug-pulls, the piece does a great job at making them feel guilty for their interactions with the performance, which sharpens the social critique.
Both the camp drag performances and the stoicism of Matt’s father effectively interrogate ways of masking emotions and covering up trauma through masculinity, with varying levels of seriousness. Ultimately, both attempts break down, whether that’s through Natalie’s repeated references to accidents and trauma (and, of course, healing) or through the story of how Matt’s dad is increasingly unable to work and is eventually laid off, and how that impacts Matt and his sister both at the time and years later.
The script is poetic, nuanced, and surprisingly subtle for a show full of (car-themed) innuendo about handjobs and ejaculation, with plenty of less-in-your-face puns like the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it reference to ‘uncoupling’.
‘Fixing’ is full of playful asides to the audience, creating an intimate environment which is only reinforced by the small studio space it’s performed in- it wouldn’t work as well on a larger stage, or with more performers, or with an interval. Matt Miller using his own name for the central character is yet another nice touch which adds to the intimacy of the play.
Another big strength of the script is the mix of sudden changes and gradual shifts in emotion, which ‘Fixing’ balances very successfully to remain cohesive. Part of this is the building feeling of unease and tension leading up to the emotional intensity of the climax- no pun intended- where the lighting changes colour for the first time in the piece, all switching from soft blues and oranges to a dark red at the same time. The lighting changes very sparingly elsewhere, brightening as Matt changes into Natalie and dimming when Natalie becomes Matt.
The set design is similarly sparse, with props only being placed around the sides and back of the room. This, along with Miller’s one-man performance, highlights the physical and emotional absences at the heart of the story. Ironically then, there’s something missing from ‘Fixing’ which would elevate it from a very good night to greatness, although it’s hard to put your finger on what exactly that is. Maybe it’s just not going far enough in either its gags or its explorations of trauma, leaving just a bit too much unsaid. And yet, the balance of moods and the various ambiguities- especially in its refusal to offer a clean, neat resolution- are also its strengths! More could have been done with the set, perhaps, or there could have been more development of the physical comedy routine- the repetition and subversion of expectations is a highlight throughout ‘Fixing’, and could have been utilised even more. These explorations of how actions change meaning in different contexts, dovetail nicely with the use of drag. For instance, hearing the voice of Matt’s dad from offstage is an especially nice touch because of how it’s juxtaposed against Matt’s impressions of his father.
Overall, ‘Fixing’ is funny, tender, and intelligent- here’s hoping it stays around!
The UK tour of ‘Fixing’ concludes on 17th April in Leicester- tickets here.