Diary of a Gay Disaster is billed as a new musical comedy which celebrates queer women and it is a show which lives up to its billing and more. Within the show we meet flatmates Mia and Finlay who are looking to welcome Ellis to their home. When Ellis arrives they soon discover her diary and after some convincing they spend the show reading parts of her diary and using this to springboard into conversation and song about their queer experience.

Diary of A Gay Disaster is written by Rachael Mailer and its stand out feature is that it is not only told from a queer perspective but a female queer perspective. Within the show there is a balance of discussing the trauma that queer people face but also being able to deal with this using comedy as well as finding joy in their queerness all with a female spin on it. Topics are dealt with such as coming out of the closet, being a straight passing bisexual woman and how to tell if a close girlfriend is queer or just expressing her emotions! It was joyous to see themes such as these on stage and expressed so eloquently.

The music was very witty, songs such as ‘Is She Queer or is She Just a Hipster ?’ (very Gay or European) although sometimes a wit took priority over a simple melody or a memorable chorus and I would struggle to hum many of the songs back after leaving the show. With some small tweaks to the music to make it that bit more memorable this could really elevate the show to the next level.

The cast were made up of Talya Soames as Mia, Liv O’Connor as Finlay and Elly Fenton as Ellis and they all instantly made an impression. The characters were well drawn and came across as more than just a stereotype whilst still playing up some cliches for humour. Each had believable chemistry with the other 2 women on stage and such warmth that it made me feel like I wanted to be part of their friendship circle.

The staging of the show was kept simple by director Tara Noonan. As you enter the theatre at the Kings Head you are greeted with a living room set up, with Mia watching TV. This set remains in place throughout the show with just the odd prop used to change things up. In a fringe theatre such as this approach works well as it allows the show to flow and keep up momentum. There was an odd moment when due to the layout of the venue I missed some of the action, especially when they were all on the floor however this didn’t impact my overall enjoyment.

Diary of a Gay Disaster is a show that not only provides witty and insightful commentary about queer women but it rightly celebrates them providing for a joyous 60 minutes at the theatre.

Diary of a Gay Disaster is on until 23rd July at Kings Head Theatre. To find out more and book tickets please visit their website.

If you like this review you might also like my review of Grindr The Opera, F**king Men and Queenz The Show With Balls