★ ★ ★
Have you ever been to a comedy show that takes you through an autistic American gay man’s sex life, while also being in a 90s fever dream full of Backstreet Boys and teen rom-com references? If you have, then it must have been George Steeve’s storyteller-cum-musical show on his journey from the conservative-South to being an “autistic unicorn in LA”.
From start to finish, George uses his lifelong love of 90s films, music and cultural references to tell his story of discovering his sexual identity. At 33, George tells us that he has never been in a relationship, identifying as straight and asexual, discovering porn, falling for his male best friend, losing his virginity using dating apps routinely to find a man to fulfil his rom-com dreams. From falling for Justin Timberlake to one-night-stands with Nick Carter (real names are changed to protect identities), George shares the lessons he learned from each of the men he has matched with. George takes us on a (mostly) PG journey through challenges he faced as a young gay man from a religious background and how his upbringing made it hard to accept his sexuality to self-appreciation.
For an autistic audience person, some of George’s discussions of autism may cause discomfort. He explains that he was diagnosed with Asperger’s in 2000 “before it was trendy and cancelled” and discusses how many autistic people have “arrested development”, which may cause unease to a British autistic audience. Whilst he expresses his fortune to be able to tour, his statement about doing so “for those who can’t speak or leave their homes” causes discomfort as these are people often spoken over in the community. It is clear that George’s key message is self-acceptance, and his storytelling and use of music snippets, singing and 90s references engages the audience
Review by Aimee Fletcher
Love & Sex on the Spectrum Bar 50 (Garden Room) 13:45 (1hr) Aug 4-19 (free – non ticketed)
