Anna Piper’s Scott’s Queer and Present Danger | Deluxe | Until 26 Jan | ★ ★ ★ ★ ½
Anna Piper Scott’s show is a whirlwind journey through gender identity, coming out, negotiating relationships and handling change. It’s incredibly hilarious from start to finish.
Straight up she declares, and effectively justifies, that there is no such thing as homophobia or transphobia, there’s just straight forward bigotry. She then goes to demonstrate what a phobia to gay people and transgender people might actually look like.
The audience found out about the realities of learning live without pockets, dealing with friends who are too enthusiastic about your gender identity announcement, and grappling with the mix reactions of family members, with every step of the trek delivering a round of laughs.
The comedian doesn’t shy away from the tough questions about the transgender community, mental health or discrimination. There are times audience members shifted uncomfortably in their seats when tough topics were presented, but Anna Piper Scott took us by the hand and gracefully guided us through the trickier territory.
This show has a succinct and open expression of what it is like to grow up knowing your not who the world thinks you are. If more people heard these words, the offensive discussions we hear all to often would occur a lot less.
I laughed so hard I cried, but this show packs a massive punch, and some of the tears were not from the comedy, but the raw honesty.
Go see this show while it’s up close and personal, because soon she’ll be playing bigger stages. Someone needs to give Anna Piper Scott her TV special and capture this powerful, captivating and comical take on being transgender and dealing with the world outside.
See Anna Piper Scott’s Queer and Present Danger at Fringe World until 26th January.
Graeme Watson is an editor at OUTinPerth. He has a background in writing, dance, theatre, radio and film working as a performer, producer and writer. He is a casual academic at ECU, and writes for a variety of publications. Graeme has been working as a reviewer since 1997.
