Review: DAN WYE AM I SAM SMITH?, Soho Theatre

“I’m not secretly Sam Smith”

Written and performed by Dan Wye and directed by Lee Griffith, Dan Wye Am I Sam Smith? is Wye’s debut hour, exploring how their life has been changed by being a doppelgänger of singer Sam Smith, which leads them to experience a life full of the negative aspects of being famous without being able to have any of the positive perks. The show has Wye explore how they have formed their identity and what it is like to have had it taken away by someone who probably does not even know they exist. 

The stage is scattered with pieces of mannequins, all set up in an array of poses. The audience is invited into the smoking area of a gay bar by Wye for what they refer to as a “DMC,” or a “Deep, Meaningful Conversation” - something that everyone who has been to the smoking area has experienced with a stranger at least once in their life. It’s a fun little setup and makes for a nice ending segment to the show, even if it isn’t used for the majority of the hour. 

Wye starts the show by telling the audience about their child, plainly stating, “I was a gay kid” and talking about the bullying they experienced growing up in Coventry, including an oddly specific song that schoolchildren came up with. There are some mentions of growing up with Catholic guilt, but this is not a main focus of the show. They also use this time to establish the main theme of their life - being both iconic and tragic - that was coined by their sister. To Wye, the universe is an abusive social media manager and they are just along for the ride, and they are just the secret child of Liza Minnelli and David Gest. 

Of course, as one might expect from the title, the majority of the show is about how Wye’s identity has been tied to that of a celebrity they look like, Sam Smith. There are several stories about how Wye has been caught in embarrassing situations, only for someone to think they are the famous singer and ask for a photograph with them - there’s an especially funny moment involving an STI clinic and a Sam Smith fan. It is difficult to hear about how much being a doppelgänger has negatively impacted Wye’s life.

Later in the show, Wye begins to explore their identity a little more, going past the complications of being a celebrity doppelgänger to look at how stereotypes are imposed on the gay community, affecting how gay people view themselves. There is such a focus in the queer commuinty on being a “great gay,” but the idea of a “great gay” has been created by the straight community, so why should gay people want to strive for that? It’s a fascinating subject that makes me hope Wye will delve further into it in future shows. Wye also goes into how everyone is looking for their “porn moment,” a magical sexual moment that will probably never happen, another interesting topic that could have been the whole focus of another show. 

One of the highlights of the show is the quick one-liners that Wye is able to come up with, seemingly both scripted and improvised. A particular favourite of mine was a sexual version of the French phrase, comme ci, comme ça - one can guess how it’s changed for the situation. Wye also has several clever nicknames for things throughout the show, including referring to an aging twink as a “T’was” and coming up with another meaning for the acronym of BFG. 

Dan Wye Am I Sam Smith? is a fun yet thought-provoking hour of comedy that explores what it is like to live a life that forces you to constantly question your identity, a life that is both iconic and tragic. Wye is a fantastic comedian and it is shocking that this is their debut hour - I simply cannot wait to see what they come up with next.