Dan Daw wants us to feel safe during his show, so takes time to make sure we understand he has consented to all of it. There is, he says, ‘no shame, no judgement’ if we decide to leave. As well as an empathetic introduction, it’s a neat subversion of the assumption of power in a relationship. By placing himself in the role of our carer, Daw (a disabled dancer) ensures that no matter what we see, there is no doubt in our minds as to who is in control. It is, after all, The Dan Daw Show.

Daw has chosen to share his safest and most powerful state, engaging in submissive kink play with a trusted dominant partner. He is joined onstage by Christopher Owen (KrisX for the show), who guides him in various sensual acts, issuing instructions to stand, lie down or go on all fours, using him as a footstool, hand-feeding him. At one point, KrisX roams a camera down Daw’s chest and the images of his tattooed skin are projected onscreen, an intimate landscape of ink and muscle. Daw has gifted us with an extraordinary work that upends notions of power and celebrates erotic exploration as a truthful lens through which to gaze into the human soul.

The Dan Daw Show, Lyceum Theatre, until 4 August, 8pm; main picture: Jess Shurte.