Paines Plough’s pop-up Roundabout theatre can be an unforgiving space, exposing the slightest weakness in both writing and acting. But when an actor really commands it, as Amy McAllister does in Stacey Gregg’s play, it can be a thrilling place of intimacy and confession.
McAllister plays Kes who, as an eight year old, revelled in wearing “debonair” waistcoats rather than dresses and tried – but failed – to pee standing up like her brothers. As Kes grows older, she identifies with the male characters in videogames and movies. Others might assume Kes would have a thing for Ryan Gosling but the truth is more complex: “I want to be Ryan Gosling.” When the teenage Kes meets Jules online, and the latter believes that Kes is a boy, the two start a relationship.
Produced by the fine Northern Irish company Prime Cut, Gregg’s play is clearly inspired by the case of Justine McNally, who was convicted of “gender fraud” after starting a sexual relationship with a teenage girl who believed her to be a boy. The in-the-round space works beautifully as Kes sits before us and talks as if we are at a meeting of an LGBTQ group. But Kes is as confused as the law is when it comes to issues of gender.
Gregg’s piece cleverly plays on teenage confusions and allows for wavering sympathies, even if it doesn’t quite grasp the nettle when exploring the complicated issues of deceit and consent. But it’s a thoughtful play that constantly questions who we are, and how we represent ourselves to the world and to each other. McAllister is utterly mesmerising, with confusion and hurt etched across her face as Kes comes to terms with lost love.
•At Roundabout at Summerhall, Edinburgh, until 28 August. Box office: 0131-226 0000.
