Bitch! Dyke! Faghag! Whore! – review

Bitch! Dyke! Faghag! Whore! - “erotic but unifying, dangerous yet welcoming”

Penny Arcade’s straight-talking, opinionated and passionate performance in Bitch! Dyke! Faghag! Whore! is not for the faint-hearted (or the narrow-minded).

Audiences stepping into the Arcola Tent are immediately confronted with a nightclub setting, sexually charged music and ample amounts of bare skin. The Arcola’s temporary pop-up venue is the ideal location for the show. Entering Penny’s ‘gay world’ for two hours feels a bit like a trip to the circus – except that this show isn’t for kids.

Penny’s biographical monologue combines narrative, stand-up comedy, interactive theatre and improvisation. Her philosophical musings over the last forty years jump from serious issues – homosexuality, AIDS, feminism, censorship – to satirical jokes about prostitution, family relationships and ‘faghag’ culture.

Few people would be able to charm and entertain an audience with two hours of autobiographical discourse, but Penny is a natural storyteller and has a little help from local erotic dancers, funny one-liners and audience interaction. The fact that she’s lived a rich life helps too.

The cabaret-style atmosphere is equally as enticing as Penny’s New York no nonsense drawl. I highly recommend grabbing a signature cocktail or two at intermission. Not only are the Bitch! Dyke! and the Faghag! Whore! delicious concoctions of rum with lemonade and vodka with peach schnapps, but you’ll need the liquid courage for the second act, where audience members are encouraged to jump on stage, lose their inhibitions, and dance around to Gloria Gaynor.

Twenty years after the show’s original New York City debut, Bitch! Dyke! Faghag! Whore! is still relevant. A celebration of sex, art and life, this is a show for those who want two hours of unmistakable fun. “Blue electric light of creativity is hovering over London,” Penny proclaimed during her show. If that’s true, then Penny shines at the light’s centre.

Bitch! Dyke! Faghag! Whore!
Until Sunday 22 July 2012
Arcola Tent
Dalston