Reviewed by Darren Stewart-Jones
Watching Greg Campbell's OUT was like looking into one of those fun house mirrors for me. You know, the mirrors that distort your image so that the reflection staring back at you is a skewed version of yourself. Greg, or Glen as he has named the central character in his one man show, had a coming out experience not too dissimilar from my own.
Greg/Glen emigrated from Ireland with his parents as a young child and then came out as a teenager in Montreal during the 1970s, partying with his friends at Lime Light and attending a gay youth group. I emigrated from England with my parents as a young child and then came out as a teenager in Toronto during the 1980s, partying with my friends at Komrads and attending an LGBT youth group. What is most similar in our individual coming of age stories is our desire to be loved and accepted for who we were - by our parents, our friends and the various men that we met along the way.
I am thrilled that I finally got the chance to see OUT in this remounted version at Buddies In Bad Times Theatre. I missed the play at the 2016 Toronto Fringe Festival, where it was one of a handful of shows that year to be awarded the coveted Best of Fringe. The designation seems to be well-deserved. Greg Campbell plays all of the characters in this solo show without missing a beat. He slides effortlessly from mother to father to friends and lovers with a subtle change of body language, vocal tone and accent that bring each different character to life before our eyes. My favourite moments were those where Glen and his two besties were nattering on the dancefloor or arguing on their trip to Pride in New York City.
Whether you came out during the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s or noughties, you are bound to see a slice of your own life in this wonderfully written and performed solo show, well-directed by Clinton Walker. OUT holds universal appeal for anyone who has ever struggled with the coming out experience.
OUT runs until May 5 at Buddies In Bad Times Theatre. Tickets at buddiesinbadtimes.com
Watching Greg Campbell's OUT was like looking into one of those fun house mirrors for me. You know, the mirrors that distort your image so that the reflection staring back at you is a skewed version of yourself. Greg, or Glen as he has named the central character in his one man show, had a coming out experience not too dissimilar from my own.
Greg/Glen emigrated from Ireland with his parents as a young child and then came out as a teenager in Montreal during the 1970s, partying with his friends at Lime Light and attending a gay youth group. I emigrated from England with my parents as a young child and then came out as a teenager in Toronto during the 1980s, partying with my friends at Komrads and attending an LGBT youth group. What is most similar in our individual coming of age stories is our desire to be loved and accepted for who we were - by our parents, our friends and the various men that we met along the way.
I am thrilled that I finally got the chance to see OUT in this remounted version at Buddies In Bad Times Theatre. I missed the play at the 2016 Toronto Fringe Festival, where it was one of a handful of shows that year to be awarded the coveted Best of Fringe. The designation seems to be well-deserved. Greg Campbell plays all of the characters in this solo show without missing a beat. He slides effortlessly from mother to father to friends and lovers with a subtle change of body language, vocal tone and accent that bring each different character to life before our eyes. My favourite moments were those where Glen and his two besties were nattering on the dancefloor or arguing on their trip to Pride in New York City.
Whether you came out during the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s or noughties, you are bound to see a slice of your own life in this wonderfully written and performed solo show, well-directed by Clinton Walker. OUT holds universal appeal for anyone who has ever struggled with the coming out experience.
OUT runs until May 5 at Buddies In Bad Times Theatre. Tickets at buddiesinbadtimes.com
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