After two highly successful runs at VAULT Festival and Pleasance London, winner of the VAULT Festival Origins Award and Offie-nominated phenomenon, Dumbledore Is So Gay returns to London at Southwark Playhouse.
Written by Robert Holtom (Guy Lines, The Lowry; The Quest; The Cluedo Club Killings, Arcola Theatre) and directed by Tom Wright (My Dad’s Gap Year, Park Theatre; Undetectable, King’s Head Theatre), Dumbledore Is So Gay is a nostalgia-fuelled homage to coming out and coming of age in the 2000’s.
Life is far from straight for Jack: he was sorted into Hufflepuff using the official online quiz, hates studying French at school and is in love with his best mate Ollie. Jack is dodging bullies worse than the Slytherins and living in the metaphorical closet under the stairs, all whilst struggling with unrequited love. When it all gets a bit too much, he decides to change his story, one spellbinding moment at a time, to make the world a little more magical. Maybe this time he’ll get the guy… and end up in Gryffindor if he’s lucky.
As the young Jack, Alex Britt delights. Never leaving the stage, Britt captivates the audience weaving a story of intrigue, humour and heartfelt emotion. Britt tackles the material head on and delivers an inspired performance that’s filled with wit, knowing winks to the audience and relatable sincerity. An energetic tour de force performance that deserves to be celebrated.
Equally as impressive are the performances given by Martin Sarreal and Charlotte Dowding, often playing multiple characters in each scene. Martin Sarreal gives a striking performance throughout, playing both sensitive Ollie and Jack’s reticent Father. Sarreal handles Ollie’s stoicism and fear in a robust performance that audiences can easily identify with and learn from. As multiple other characters including Jack’s Mother, his French teacher and best friend Gemma, Charlotte Dowding gives a brilliant performance. Employing different accents and physicality’s to separate characters, Dowding draws the audience in with skill allowing the humour and emotion of the piece to shine.
Author Robert Holtom has written a piece that’s very touching. Dealing with homophobia, racism, violence, consent, suicide and the patriarchy, Holtom uses the wizarding world to give Dumbledore Is So Gay it’s wit and humour. An optimistic celebration of love and resilience, Holtom’s play is a joyous tribute to the magic of friendship to banish life’s dementors focusing on the importance of self-love and friendship to face the toughest of trials.
Reviewed by Stuart James
