Is it a chook? Is it a aircraft? No! It’s the notorious orange masks recognised by queers world wide! Buddy to some, foe to others, whether or not you might have downloaded it or not, the app by no means goes away! And this time, it returns to one among London’s beloved fringe theatre venues for one more run of ‘Grindr the Opera: An Unauthorised Parody’, presently taking part in at The Union Theatre. 

Grindr the Opera has been on my radar for fairly a while now, and very similar to the app, when an attractive provide entered my inbox, it was troublesome to say no to the invite! Being a homosexual particular person who has beforehand downloaded the dreaded app, and from the title of the present alone, I knew I used to be in for a raunchy and raucous journey, nonetheless, what I didn’t anticipate have been the touching, but very relatable and hard-hitting themes of struggles with popping out, STI prognosis, and non-consensual moments throughout intercourse.

This adaptation, directed by William Spencer, does a improbable job of mixing amusing hits and one-liners, with poignant moments of exploration and supply. With that being stated, at instances I felt some comedic moments didn’t attain their full potential, and a few jokes have been misplaced inside the supply of traces and sound high quality. Whereas the lyrics themselves comprise hilarious nuggets of comedy, I might have appreciated to have seen the forged play and discover the nuance of the textual content additional, drawing out their particular person variations of the comedy. 

Nonetheless, general the present was a wonderful night of light-hearted (and barely outrageous!) camp enjoyable! Credit score specifically have to be given to Christian Lunn, who performed the title position of Grindr, delivering a faultless and powerhouse efficiency in all elements. Lunn was an absolute pleasure to look at and left me wanting extra each time the legendary being graced the stage. A specific spotlight was the efficiency of ‘Wanderlust’, which stole the manufacturing. 

When you’re seeking to be seduced by silliness and music, then you’ll want to head right down to the Union Theatre to catch Grindr the Opera earlier than eighth July 2023!

Assessment by Adam Tipping 

Score: ★★★