Robert Madge’s My Son’s A Queer (But What Can You Do?) wows at Coventry’s Belgrade Theatre

Musical theatre icon Robert Madge toured through Coventry’s Belgrade Theatre last week with their one-person autobiographical West End hit My Son’s A Queer (But What Can You Do?).

The show focuses on Madge’s childhood, much of which was spent delivering elaborate (and camp) theatrical performances in their family living room. Indeed, the stage is set up to resemble such a room, with an armchair, lamp, and massive television screen. In a style reminiscent of You’ve Been Framed, or those segments Graham Norton does at the start of his talk show, a large portion of the hour-long runtime is spent watching home videos from Madge’s living room spectacles.

The show takes us on a brief journey in which Madge sacrifices their joy, passion, and personality, in an attempt to fit in better and make some friends

You may have already seen many of these clips on Instagram Reels or the like. They document Madge’s childhood joy and love of performing, including a recreation of a Disney parade in their living room. The clips are often sweet and always humorous, as Madge’s precocious diva persona scolds their family members for missing their cue or saying the line wrong. The videos are interspersed with Madge’s live narration, and occasional images of school reports, hinting at their loneliness outside the house.

The show takes us on a brief journey in which Madge sacrifices their joy, passion, and personality, in an attempt to fit in better and make some friends. Once they embrace their non-binary identity, however, they are able to reclaim their happiness and pride, and recreate their Disney parade with even more vigour (and better costumes), making for an entertaining finale number.

Without the talent to back it up, a show like this could have seemed amateur and even cringe, but Madge busts out their show tune vibrato early, cultivating a trust that this is a trained professional who knows what they’re doing

Speaking of musical numbers, the show is composed by Madge along with Pippa Cleary (of The Great British Bake Off Musical fame). These numbers rarely drive the story forward, instead serving more to set the extravagant tone, and to show off Madge’s vocal chops, which were also noted with some long overdue and tongue-in-cheek acknowledgement of their fantastic West End run and 25th Anniversary Concert appearance as Gavroche in Les Misérables. Without the talent to back it up, a show like this could have seemed amateur and even cringe, but Madge busts out their showtune vibrato early, cultivating a trust that this is a trained professional who knows what they’re doing, so you can sit back and relax.

My Son’s A Queer (But What Can You Do?) was an entertaining if slightly unusual show, that I occasionally wished would choose a clearer direction and stick to it

Indeed, I found Madge to be highly self-aware. Not only of how self-indulgent a production this is, but also of how lucky they are to have had such a supportive family, especially in grandparents who not only supported their love of the performing arts but also of wearing clothes not socially acceptable for boys. They are further aware that a childhood spent on a living room stage is not a unique experience. Towards the end of the show, the television is used to centre other voices in the form of clips sent in by early audience members of their own childhood productions. It’s an endearing and uplifting montage reminiscent of The Prom’s ‘Unruly Heart’, and ensures the audience leaves with a sense of optimism and pride.

Overall, My Son’s A Queer (But What Can You Do?) was an entertaining if slightly unusual show, that I occasionally wished would choose a clearer direction and stick to it. Much of the content could have been adapted into an impressive stand-up comedy routine, but was delivered with the over-rehearsed and melodramatic cadence usually reserved for pantomime dames. But maybe I’m old-fashioned. Maybe these liminal, medium-defying spaces are exactly where non-binary artists such as Madge can thrive in a world that typically shuns them. After all, their success speaks for itself: four West End productions by the age of 15, and an award-winning solo show that’s heading to Broadway. If you want to catch it before it goes, it is touring across the UK in July and August, more details here.