Review: DEAR YOUNG MONSTER, Soho Theatre

Unusual and unflinching, Dear Young Monster delves into the parallels between the creation of Frankenstein’s Monster as a ‘man-made man’ and the experience of a trans coming of age. Playfully incorporating horror and the gothic, it’s a queer hidden gem of this summer’s theatre offerings.

With a crack of thunder and a flash of lightning, we meet our nameless narrator (Pete MacHale), as he crawls out from being buried alive. As he speaks of blood and earth, it slowly becomes clear that what he’s really talking about is growing up feeling wrong - and then surfacing for his first gender clinic appointment. MacHale wins audiences over from the outset - this comparison is powerful and well-thought through, and introduces us to the character in a way that separates Dear Young Monster from your run-of-the-mill solo show.

As his story continues to unfold, we follow MacHale through his first year on testosterone: from painful conversations with parents to awkward trips to visit friends who have left for university. All of this is creatively framed through the world of horror films, not only for storytelling reasons but because the character finds an affinity with the likes of Frankenstein’s Monster and Dracula. These larger-than-life horror moments are where the show is at its strongest and most creative. In fact, its primary flaw is that there are some periods where we go too long without stepping back into this horror world, caught up in everyday narration. 

That’s not to say that the story itself isn’t compelling - instantly charming, MacHale speaks with a real candor and hits unexpected emotional beats. He's easily able to flick between the fantastical and outrageous into moments of real heart and heartbreak, and has a consistently upbeat, full-throttle stage presence. The play also does well in depicting the nuances of family and friendship: the narrator’s mum, and Best Friend Mia, are both portrayed as sympathetic and real, despite their mistakes. The same can be said of our main character: while we see the story through his eyes, MacHale doesn’t shy away from his less likeable actions.

The world of Dear Young Monster is stylishly brought to life by director Sammy Glover, whose great work on The Last Show Before We Die can be seen echoed here. The show is able to reach beyond standard solo show fare through excellent sound and lighting design by Roly Botha and Hugo Dodsworth respectively. A brilliant addition is also found in Dee Dixon’s projection work, which frames MacHale with whirring images of retro horror films. As producer Jess Donn notes, it’s also great to see a production so full of queer and trans talent offstage as well as on. 

The only drawback of Dear Young Monster is that it sometimes feels like it could be more – more scary, more funny, more expansive. There’s so much potential in this concept – while comparisons between the trans experience and the horror world are nothing new (see Rocky Horror, Jeanette Winterson’s Frankissstein and a whole lot of queer theory), this show physicalises it with new passion. 

If you’re not in Edinburgh this August, this show is the perfect way to cure the Fringe fomo - full of exciting and heartfelt queer storytelling, it’s absolutely worth a watch. 

Dear Young Monster runs at Soho Theatre (Upstairs) until 16 August.