Hot Gay Time Machine at Trafalgar Studios 2

Where do I even begin in describing Hot Gay Time Machine? We meet Zak Ghazi-Torbati and Toby Marlow who decide to use the time machine that they have discovered to revisit ‘seminal’ moments in their lives. Amongst other scenes we see them coming out to their parents, in the boys locker room at school and them performing Rent at university. All of these scenes are revisited complete with metaphorical jazz hands, song and often Queen B references!

Marlow is outrageously flamboyant with hot pink shorts and an incredible ability to make every dance move look fabulous. His talents do not end there and he provides the musical accompaniment for the evening. He coordinates his twinkling fingers with a twinkle in his eye and perfectly timed smirks at the audience for maximum impact. Ghazi-Torbati is slightly less flamboyant (possibly due to his back injury) but this is probably a relief as Marlow x 2 may come across as precocious rather than entertaining. He is also afforded a few more opportunities to show of his vocal ability and he clearly had a great voice there, it was just a shame that this side was never shown to its maximum potential.

The show is unashamedly aimed at the 18+ audience with songs about looking at cock in the locker room and frequent discussions about casual sex. That being said, it is often more than just lude for the sake of it and there is frequent hilarious observational comedy, in particular Ghazi-Torbati and Marlow’s take on straight men in a club. I did often wonder where the show was going or what the point was but by the end had settled into the decision that it didn’t really matter and just to enjoy it! It isn’t the typical kind of show I would expect to see in central London and can totally see why it has done so well at places like the Edinburgh Fringe…I’m just not sure a formal theatre setting does it any favours.

It is hands down the campest show I have ever seen (and that is saying something) but despite the OTT campness it is a show with underlying heart.

Hot Gay Time Machine runs until 5th January. To find out more visit their website.

If you like this review you might also like my review of Six, Denim-The Reunion Tour and Kinky Boots.