Straddle, subtitled A fantasia on gay rage, follows the story of the unnamed Him, played by the energetic and engaging Peter Todd. The subtitle is misleading because this is far from a play about rage. Rather, it’s the story of a young man confident in his sexuality but woefully unsure about how that translates into the real world. He has a touching friendship with a boy from school that shapes the direction and sway of his emotions and his ability to love himself and others over the course of the next 15 years.
Full of good stuff, but too over-stuffed to truly shine.
All of the plot points follow the well-trodden path of familiar coming out narratives. School boy crush: tick. Unconvincing relationship with girlfriend: tick. Difficult interactions with parents: tick. What makes this hour of theatre so different is the fantasia element, a smorgasbord of skits and sketches, props and flights of fancy that are as surprising as they are amusing. He plays the keyboard, He dresses up, He dances, He even delivers a corporate PowerPoint presentation on how to be straight.
These whimsical moments are hit and miss, proving themselves to be bewildering as often as they are entertaining. The keyboard on stage, for example, is a wasted prop, used three times to little effect. Other props litter the floor and two massive tables dominate the space, not to mention cushions and stools. All in all, there’s far too much furniture to the point that Todd is hampered in his expressiveness while props and staging are constantly knocked down and stumbled over. Director Mina Moniri has created a playful performance space, but not a functional one.
The costume is brilliant, with frequent inventive changes that keep the character moving forward in the story as well as providing colour and humour. However, the cluttered stage is a fitting metaphor for a show that is full of good stuff, but too over-stuffed to truly shine. It’s Todd’s magnetic charisma that carries us through.
