AD: Press Invite in exchange for an honest review.
Photo Credit: Earl Echivarre
It’s not uncommon to watch shows unpacking the journey that we go through growing up; talking about our high school years, our first crushes, our first loves – and our first heartbreaks. These are all deeply relatable experiences that we all have regardless of our age and gender. However, it’s so rare to see these stories told through the experience of explicitly queer women with vulnerability and honesty. And this is exactly what Diary of a Gay Disaster does, expertly and unapologetically.
Performing as part of the MT Pride Lab at the Kings Head Theatre in Islington, Diary of a Gay Disaster not only provides representation on stage for queer women but also celebrates it in perfect millennial humour.
The story starts with a seemingly unremarkable living room that becomes the stage for unpacking our characters deepest and darkest secrets. We meet Mia and Finlay, played by Tayla Soames (she/her) and Olivia O’Connor (she/her) respectively, housemates and long term friends who have opened up the spare room in their house to a flatmate. Enter Ellis, played by Elly Fenton (she/her), who’s moving experience is suddenly disrupted by her diary becoming the evening’s entertainment. The next hour can only be described as a chaotic queer journey of trauma bonding, confessions, and a whole lot of laughs, told through song in a way that would make the writers of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend jealous.
One of the most stand out pieces of this show is the writing, with book, lyrics and music from Rachael Mailer (she/her). The show takes that confusing overlap between Gen-Z and Millennials and fuses it together perfectly, with faultless cultural references that span both generations and make this show deeply relatable regardless of your age. For a professional debut into the musical theatre world, this is a writer that we should be keeping a close eye on in years to come.
The cast were also phenomenal – with each of the three leads also making their professional debuts in the show. Each character was utterly believable (and could quite literally be any number of my friends), and the trio had enough chemistry between them to fill the entire theatre and pub in front. Comedic timing is not a skill that everyone possesses, but for a show like this it is crucial and not a single beat was missed during the entire performance. In particular, the ability to jump in and out of character was outstanding, moving from their primary roles of Mia, Finlay and Ellis, into the portrayals of ex-boyfriends or high school friends without even blinking.
In addition to the dynamics of the trio, the original songs within the show are top tier comedy gold. Each number highlights a different experience that queer women go through, growing up, being in the closet, or even what happens after coming out to friends and family. The lyrics are cleverly composed, reclaiming stereotypes and myths about the queer experience over fun pop numbers. The songs all find themselves referencing different genres, including but not limited to pastiche pop punk, musical theatre espionage, and a 90s girlband parody that would leave the Spice Girls envious. The range of genres used is a clever nod to the diversity of the queer experience, and using a mixture of sounds is a subtle yet powerful decision.
Some stand out numbers for me include ‘Not Like Other Girls’, a quite literal pick-me girl anthem in a style reminiscent of Blink 182 or Busted, which unpicks the confusing feelings of being unsure if you don’t get on with girls because they’re girls or if there’s something more at play. Another laugh out loud number is ‘Risky Game’, which tears apart stereotypes surrounding bisexual women and their sexuality being defined by the men in their lives, cleverly villainizing men who see a bisexual woman as a gateway into having a threesome.
‘Is She Queer or is She Just A Hipster’ is the final song to discuss in detail, which is the epitome of what this show is all about. The whole number is a play on queer stereotypes that queer women themselves lean into – having a starsign on their phone case, being vegan, having short nails. I felt personally called out by 90% of this song. The song simultaneously squashes stereotypes while also celebrating that sometimes it’s ok to fit into that mould. Snippets of this particular number are available on the show’s TikTok account.
I don’t think I’ve ever given a show a five star rating as quickly as I did this one, feeling pretty confident that this was something special before the end of the first number. Every song provides more laughs than the next, cleverly using props and movement to turn the comedy right up to 11. The show manages to educate the audience on queer women and their experiences while also creating a safe space to laugh at us and with us at the same time.
I am very excited to see where this show heads next, with the short run at the Kings Head Theatre selling out before opening night had even concluded. And it’s easy to see why – every thing that needed to be considered has been, creating a slick and impressive hour of theatre which I’m already dying to see again. This is a show that is small but mighty, and has an incredibly promising future ahead.
To keep up with the show you can find them on Instagram and TikTok:
Instagram: @gaydisastermusical
Tiktok: @gaydisastermusical
While the run is sold out at the Kings Head Theatre, it is recommended that you contact the venue for any ticket enquiries. Full information about the remainder of the run can be found at kingsheadtheatre.com
