Testo
Project Arts Centre, Dublin 2
★★★★☆
The programme description warns of “themes of transphobia and homophobia, excessive loud noise/music, smoke machines, strobe lighting, and complete darkness”.
Lactose-sensitive folk need also beware: the kinetic, noisy, thrilling Testo opens with an erotic dream concerning clits, dicks and feet in butter, all played out on a neon sign. If you’re discombobulated by the idea of a breaststroke through a butter orgy, well, buckle up.
This sensorial multimedia adventure into genderpunk and transmasc is one of the hottest tickets of this year’s Dublin Fringe Festival. And with good reason.
[ Wet Mess at the Fringe: Determinedly surreal, defiantly unconventional dragOpens in new window ]
Wet Mess, a founder of the feminist dance troupe Stasis, is a thrilling London-based drag artist and choreographer known for their surreal, subversive performances. Their work intersects with traditional drag, incorporating dance, lip-sync, striptease and performance art. But their bald femme aesthetic and chaotic glamour break all the rules.
Itch, at Dublin Fringe, is an honest, eye-opening account of the stress that accompanies a lifelong condition
Train Man, at Dublin Fringe, is a funny, endearing show – even if its star is still being upstaged
Diary of a Dublin Drag Diva, at Dublin Fringe: Is Davina Devine unguarded at last?
Aliens, at Dublin Fringe, is a poignant, dysfunctional road trip via an Irish ice cream dynasty
Testo, Wet Mess’s solo show based on interviews with transmasc individuals taking testosterone, offers a vibrant gallimaufry of nudity, energy and the avant-garde. The testimonies range from horny observations about “going again quickly” to a poignant moment on the bus when the transitioning speaker feels as if they “own space” for the first time.
The effect is like a verbatim musical, without the tunes. The impeccable sound design, credited to Baby, juggles stitched-together conversations, looming bass and dance numbers.
The lip-synced lived experience is jollied along by angular, seductive movement. Wet Mess can be balletic, frantic or acrobatic, but their body is always a contested site. The artist initially swaggers on to the stage like 1990s Liam Gallagher in a tracksuit, boxers and – less Gallagher, more Grayson Perry – a billowing gown.
Beneath their chequered gimp make-up, they possess a weaponised, disarming smile. Their rubber six-pack torso is stretched into Cronenbergian distortions before the show yields a reveal. You won’t see anything quite like Testo.
Runs at Project Arts Centre, as part of Dublin Fringe Festival, until Wednesday, September 10th
