★★★★
Adelaide Fringe. Goodwood Theatre. 17 Mar 2023
Written and performed by Ty Autry, A Southern Fairytale is not an unfamiliar story, sadly. It is about a young, gay Christian growing up in a small and out-of-the way town in Georgia, in the ‘deep south’ of the USA, and coming to terms with the way God has made him in an intolerant society. The very expression itself – ‘deep south’ – is enough to warn us this is not going to be a pleasant story, and it isn’t.
The use of the term ‘fairytale’ in the title of the show is not just a nod to its gay themes; it also points to the fact there is eventually a happy ending (oops….no pun intended!). Fairytales usually involve a central hero/heroine who is rewarded for successfully carrying out various challenges and in A Southern Fairytale the hero is named Alex Belmont, and he is played by Autry. Belmont is Autry, for this is an autobiographical one-hander – it is Autry’s own turbulent story.
The play unfolds chapter by chapter and Alex recounts all the usual milestones in the life of a young gay man: his first crush, his parents finding out he is gay, punishments, confusion, bullying, ostracism, anger, acceptance, retreating back into the closet, masquerading as heterosexual, dealing with gossip and innuendo, and the list goes on. As previously said, this is familiar territory, and of course it is not just confined to the ‘deep south’, but they excel at cruelty. And it gets worse. The story also delves into Alex’s excommunication from his church, him being sent to conversion therapy, and dealing with a disturbed father who thinks the root course of his son’s problem is him being possessed by a demon!
Autry explores the ‘routine’ events with sincerity – after all, it’s his own lived experience – but he shies away from deeply looking into the more toxic aspects, such as conversion therapy, and this is perhaps the Achilles’ heel of the show. People can be crushed by the obscene, repugnant, and immoral practice of conversion therapy. It is blight. Some survive it, as did Autry, and their stories need to be told. The inclusion in the text of richer descriptions of conversion therapy experiences would undoubtedly make for a much weightier theatrical experience, but Autry’s not insubstantial performance skills are surely up to the task of tempering the bleak with drollness and ‘light and shade’.
As Belmont, Autry is totally likeable. He moves around the minimalist set comfortably and engages with every member of the audience at various times. It feels very intimate. He directs a smile to a woman, and a pained and penetrating look to her husband. A sharp glance here, a quizzical look there. There is the occasional silence while he waits for laughter to fall away, but the silence is also poignant, almost heart-breaking.
As with all fairytales, our hero safely comes out the other side. Autry is certainly a little damaged, but he looks forward with wonderment and anticipation to the next fairytale to see what life has in store for him.
A Southern Fairytale has been around for several years. It is performed with style, sincerity, humour, wit, charm, and much confidence. Autry might now consider applying his talents to refreshing the script to ensure that it transcends the familiar and becomes an even more important weapon in the ongoing struggle against homophobia, especially in the increasingly conservative US where anti-queer legislation is a growth industry.
Kym Clayton
When: 17 to 18 Mar
Where: Goodwood Theatres
Bookings: adelaidefringe.com.au
