From his Congolese roots to a New York awakening, Ngofeen Mputubwele’s conflicted tale of origins, faith and burgeoning sexuality broods at the dark heart of this play which revolves around 2022’s Monkeypox outbreak. Borne from his debut article for The New Yorker magazine, The Monkeypox Gospel tackles that city’s response to the virus and how Mpox followed the same cycle of prejudice and stigmatisation as the devastation of HIV had 40 years previously. Mputubwele mixes recorded voices, the driest of humour and delicate physicality to weave a number of threads, combining operatic song and ballet to flit back and forth through his personal timeline.

Conversely, such is his desire for imagery and metaphor, the essence of what genuinely is a powerful story becomes muddled, yet his natural warmth and showmanship always keeps things interesting. A section on the mobilisation of the New York queer community fighting for adequate healthcare and vaccination is diluted by showier elements that fail to serve the story; the best moments come from when he is still and cooly relating the outbreak’s grim statistics with a minimum of distraction. With some fine tuning, The Monkeypox Gospel has the potential to mine an even richer seam of emotional impact.

The Monkeypox Gospel, Underbelly Cowgate, until 24 August, 5.50pm; main picture: Geve Penaflor.