Passion on the Night Tube ☆☆☆ ☆
The Vaults Festival, London

The LGBTQ community can be vile and racist. It is a microcosm of the wider society and all its prejudices and ignorance so this should not be surprising. Why it hurts disproportionately is because it is supposed to be a place of refuge and support to all LQBTQ people, so when it falls short the pain is felt all the more keenly.

This is a hard truth that Jimmy Wong experiences first hand in this one man play with music called ‘Passion on the Night Tube’ by writer/actor Tony Tang. Jimmy finds himself homeless and spending the night travelling the 24 hour Jubilee Line in order to stay warm. The titular ‘Passion’ seems to refer to Jimmy’s trials and tribulations that have occurred along the way rather than any hot, transportation based shagging – or does it?

Growing up gay in a restrictive and conservative culture, Jimmy is acutely aware of not fitting in. In ‘Fifth Wheel’ he sings “I just don’t belong; a stranger in my own life”. This play articulates that so well but also lays out the added trauma of being rejected by the LGBTQ community and conveys the sense of isolation specifically queer people of colour can feel.

A key element of any one man show is the necessity to play a variety of other characters. This Tang does vividly, with great agility and believability. Whether it’s his uncle’s baritone voice telling him “Maybe if you lose some weight the girls will like you”; or the Brummy and Cockney accents of the Grindr contacts that reject him (they say “No fems, no blacks, no Asians” online but are even more hateful in person). The piece really takes off when Tang metamorphoses into his Cantonese speaking mother. It’s truly authentic, quite spectacular and rooted in the universal language of a furiously disappointed parent – understood by many LGBTQ people.

Tang dishes up a selection of melodic songs liberally seasoned with powerfully cogent lyrics and topped off by a superb singing voice and a trusty ukulele. The dialogue is peppered with humorous asides and he breaks the fourth wall with gay abandon as he channels an evil drag queen or Catholic priest. ‘Passion on the night tube’ is a rare and welcome opportunity to hear a story of the marginalised, the invisible, and lift the lid on the dirty little secrets of the LGBTQ community.

The show wraps up rather abruptly but as he removes his smelly old anorak, through the power of love, he transmutes into a fabulous being in a scarlet and gold changshan robe, and finally finds the strength to get off the train.

REVIEW : JONNY WARD

Jonny Ward, Queerguru Contributing EDITOR is a drama graduate but has worked backstage for many years at venues such as The ROYAL ALBERT Hall, The 02, Southbank Centre and is currently at The NATIONAL THEATRE. He lives in Hoxton, London and is delighted to check out the latest, the hottest and the downright dodgy in queer culture for Queerguru. (P.S. He is currently single)  @JonnyWard360