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Let Me Look At You

An intimate and moving hour examines a gay man's life in Soho and fifty years of LGBTQI history
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Let Me Look At You

An intimate and moving hour examines a gay man's life in Soho and fifty years of LGBTQI history

Whether it's the rush of chemicals artificially enhanced or naturally occurring, Mark Pinkosh's engaging one man monologue is full of adrenaline. It zips along at top speed, with only a few reflective pauses. His story, written by Godfrey Hamilton, weaves a potted history of LGBTQI with an admiration for an attractive, insouciant young millennial hanging out in Soho, his relaxed stance representative of the freedom others fought for.

It's funny, with its warm, conversational tone, and plays with stereotypes ('It's so exhausting being gay … There's so much popular culture we need to know about … Cher is the grandmother we wish we had') but often with a lot of oppositional anger too. Pinkosh recalls horrific recent homophobic attacks, the loss of loved ones from AIDS, and how far society has come in making strides, in terms of LGBTQI rights.

He also dispels certain myths. By referring to the first public lesbian protest in The Black Cat bar in Los Angeles, 1967, after a police raid, he acknowledges that this predates the more feted Stonewall riots by a couple of years.

Let Me Look At You has an unflinching gaze, and David Prescott's direction brings a restless physicality, falling between stand-up comedy and a graceful dancer's sashay. It's a simple but moving and emotionally charged hour; both hugely insightful, and wonderfully crafted. Pinkosh isn't just a superb performer, he feels like an old friend.

Reviewed at Tron Theatre, run ended. Touring across the UK.

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