So Saturday evening I decided to have some ‘culture’. So I went to a theatre, a proper theater where they do Hamlet and shit, Bristol Old Vic. And what did I go and see, ‘Dear young monster’. Now it was quite an odd choice and even odder how I got there. Started off with Elaine Paige on Sunday saying that there was a new musical called ‘Started for ten’, which is based on some student wanting to go on ‘University challenge’ and that it was on at the ‘Bristol Old Vic’. So, a quick Google and found said musical, looking at tickets, was around forty quid, thought I don’t want to see it that much, then while I was there I saw this play advertised and the first thing I thought was, ‘Oh, he’s cute’. This cute guy is called ‘Pete Machale’ (I’ve purposely popped that in quotes so when Google comes along with it’s crawler it’ll catalogue it and when he Goggles himself it’ll pop up with my Blog and he can be very scared indeed). Now the interesting thing about this guy, is, he was once a girl. I believe he is now twenty-seven. I think he started transitioning when he was about nineteen. The whole play is a one man show which starts at the beginning of his transition, from his first injection, in the bum, of testosterone (where he faints) and ends closer to present day. It’s called ‘Dear young monster’, as it contains lots of references to Frankenstein, and creates similarities almost to the point of similes in the dialogue. It also covers transphobia, being beaten up (for being trans) and friendship. It’s funny, sincere and sometimes a bit shocking and scary. It’s certainly a journey, very well written and performed (yes he wrote and performed it all, over seventy minutes, correction, he performed it over seventy minutes, I’m sure it took longer to write). Actually on that bracketed point, he mentions that he wrote a version back in 2018 which was ‘short and clumsy’, this version was certainly well polished on a very simple set.

Now here’s the fun thing. As I said originally, ‘that guy is cute’. Now, I have no issues referring to him as a ‘guy’, also no issues using the ‘pronoun’ him, reason being he refers to himself constantly as a ‘him’. I know some trans people would prefer a different pronoun, or even remain non-binary, their choice, which I’d respect. But then comes the complex bit, does he then want to go into a relationship (not saying he even wants one) with a boy or a girl? If it’s a girl, does that the make him a lesbian? If it’s a boy does it make him gay? What if he dates another trans person? These are very deep questions, which don’t necessarily have answers, or indeed correct answers, depending on your point of view. I don’t really care, but one thing I do know, is he’s still cute and as a gay guy I’d certainly date him. I think maybe it’s because of the slightly feminine features of the face, the hands, the gestures. He took his shirt off on a couple of occasions, and he certainly lived up to my expectations, he had a fine chest with hair, almost to the point of a six pack (he’s very thin). There’s a comedian called ‘Sarah Keyworth’ whose a lesbian, but again looks like a boy, I’d date her as well.

Maybe I’m just allergic to straight people.

He got a standing ovation, I wish him well with future endeavors. I got the bus home and then drank too much as usual.