MY SON’S A QUEER (BUT WHAT CAN YOU DO?) – PRODUCTION IMAGES
PHOTOS BY MARK SENIOR
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FINAL WEEK OF SMASH HIT SHOW
MY SON’S A QUEER, (BUT WHAT CAN YOU DO?)
WRITTEN & PERFORMED BY ROB MADGE
AND DIRECTED BY LUKE SHEPPARD
My Son’s A Queer, (But What Can You Do?) written by and performed by Rob Madge (Oliver!, Les Misérables) and directed by Luke Sheppard (& Juliet, In The Heights) celebrates the joy and chaos of raising a queer child, and originally had a critically acclaimed, and sold out run at the Turbine Theatre in 2021. Following another sell out run at this year’s Edinburgh Festival, My Son’s A Queer, (But What Can You Do?) transferred to the Garrick Theatre, in London’s West End, on 21 October and will run until 06 November 2022.
When Rob was 12, they attempted to stage a full-blown Disney parade in their house for their Grandma. As Rob donned a wig and played Mary Poppins, Ariel, Mickey Mouse and Belle, their Dad doubled as Stage Manager, Sound Technician and Goofy. Unfortunately, Dad missed all his cues and pushed all the floats in the wrong direction. Mum mistook Aladdin for Ursula. The costumes went awry. Ariel’s bubble gun didn’t even work properly. Grandma had a nice time though.
Winner of the ‘WhatsOnStage Best Off-West End Production 2022’ Award, My Son’s A Queer, (But What Can You Do?) is the joyous autobiographical story of social-media sensation Rob Madge, who just won the Industry Minds 2022 award for Performer of the year, as they set out to recreate that parade – and this time, nobody, no, nobody is gonna rain on it!
Paul Taylor-Mills, Artistic Director of The Turbine Theatre said “Exactly three years ago I took a group of my colleagues and friends on a boat along The Thames to a relatively unknown theatre space hiding beneath one of the most iconic buildings in Europe, The Battersea Power Station.
The Turbine Theatre was born. A bold and unique space where new work could be created. I made a commitment in front of everyone that we’d have a West End transfer within a year. Both brave and naive at the same time, little did we know what was to come. I even wrote it on the walls in big pink letters to remind me. Admittedly there were two years that we won’t go into now but we’re finally able to say that The Turbine Theatre is going to take its first show to the West End.
My Son’s A Queer, (But What Can You Do?) is the epitome of everything I dreamed The Turbine could be. A story of hope and acceptance, a celebration of life and a thrilling adventure rooted in trusting those we collaborate with. It has gone from a DM on Twitter during lockdown, to a fully produced sell out show in our theatre, to a run-a-way Edinburgh Season inside a big purple cow – many awards later, we’re at The Garrick. My Son’s A Queer, (But What Can You Do?) will play a limited season in the West End this Autumn and we hope that this is the start of many more transfers to come!”