Ryan Stewart's Kinder, at Melbourne Fringe, turns the familiar chaos of getting ready into a charming hour-long performance about growing up and getting out.
Playing Goody Prostate, a drag queen with a ticking deadline – due at the local library’s reading room by 1pm to perform to (shudder) kids – Stewart’s show is layered with wit, queerness, and a dash of childlike nostalgia. Of course, the journey to kid-friendly drag isn't without hurdles: an overhead clap keeps Goody on track, protesters gather outside the library, and Goody wrestles with toning down their typically uncensored routine. But what do kids like? More pressingly, what did they like as a kid?
The set – part bedroom, part dressing room, part rented basement – is a liminal space for Goody’s musings and self-reflection. Stewart strips down, dressing in playful patterns and statement knee-high boots while recounting formative memories: their parents' divorce, coming out to their father, private school, all peppered with a raspy, German-accented queer rage.
The show leans heavily on monologues, which too often meander. While they’re broken up by well-choreographed drag performances, a cereal break and a power outage, there’s a lack of tension or cohesion with Goody reaching for too many contemplative threads. Still, beneath it, a subtle commentary on what it means to be heard, to be a child, and to grow up begins to emerge.
If the script lacks a certain tautness, Stewart’s charm and talent more than compensate. With catwalk cartwheels, cheeky one-liners, and impeccable comedic timing – they are an entertainer who could just as easily mentor kids as dazzle as your red carpet plus-one (their wardrobe is ready for either).
What begins as an expression of queer rage softens into something deeply empathetic by the end – endearing, zany, and brimming with heart. Stewart’s show is joyously offbeat and the kind of warm and fuzzy we didn’t know we needed.
Kinder is playing at Trades Hall and Upstairs @ Floridia until October 20 – tickets are available here.
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