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.
READ MORE
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
