★★★
Adelaide Fringe. A Mulled Wine. The Chapel – Migration Museum. 18 Feb 2023
James Hilary Penwarden sports a They/Them badge on their suspenders. The they/them pronouns work for them because as they say, “everything about me is plural.” A self-described “attention whore,” they cover their natural assets in an androgynous deconstructed tuxedo-look that describes them well enough. When they are not titillating and teasing the audience, they have much to say about acceptance, and to come out has its considerable costs in the cruel world of the conventional - socially and financially. Absolutely enduring is their total honesty and vulnerability. James does stand-up, purring out their abstract and humourous observations on their non-binary transgender bisexual life. Wow, the sex sounds terribly attractive! And as James says, “if you wish you were gay, you’re probably gay.” That made me think.
The God-shaped hole in your heart to be filled by God as taught in their Catholic catechism took on new meaning as James discovered the eroticism of their other “God-shaped holes.” Helped by James’s magnetic personality, there was more style than schtick. Stories of polyamorous mix-ups with mooncups and pass the chlamydia were pretty funny though - once you got over the self-recognised adolescence. The strong point is their three songs. Wonderfully playful lyrics and catchy tunes, but the guitar certainly lacked gusto. For someone who craves acceptance and non-judgment, their raunchy imagery of Jesus, and Mary’s magical hymen, is a wee hypocritical.
If you are just a plain old ‘S for Straight’ or ‘Stop: I only do the same old thing in bed’, you will learn a lot of the world of the more amorously adventurous. If you are one in the alphabet acronym, LGBTQIA+, you will get this perfectly.
David Grybowski
When: 17 to 26 Feb
Where: The Chapel – Migration Museum
Bookings: adelaidefringe.com.au
