Charlotte Dowding, Alex Britt, Martin Sarreal in Dumbledore Is So Gay at Southwark Playhouse - Credit to David JensonWhilst the title may give you virtually everything you need to know, DUMBLEDORE IS SO GAY still manages to conceal a few comic surprises up its long wizardy sleeves. A young, uncertain-of-his-sexuality-
Cue reference to Dumbledore’s Time-Turner which was used by Hermione to travel back and forth in time to attend extra lessons during one of JK’s series — I lose track which. Leaving aside the fact that the aforementioned amulet could only allow the user to travel back in time for a max of 5 hours at a time, here Jack is rubbing furiously like it’s a magic lamp and in true Groundhog Day and Sliding Doors fashion, time shifts and he is reliving his life over again with finessed tweaks, but still the outcome is unsatisfactory. OK, so the premise is hardly mega-original and come the third iteration there may be a certain unease and restlessness that perhaps there is insufficient juice in this thin plot device to remain entertaining, but miraculously, it does. The cast tweak (and twerk) their way through the characters, reminding us what it was like to be young, foolish, irritating, playful, silly, dumb, naive and, and… and ALIVE for goodness sake.
It ain’t Shakespeare — although Iambic pentameter gets a bluntly delivered nod (perhaps more to remind us that the writer and director have trained and want you to know it) and Alex Britt has enough inherent charm and energy to melt the hearts of the iciest of frozen curmudgeons.
So there we have it. With virtually no set, a few lighting states, some clever sound cues and bundles of energy, this three-player, multi-character yarn (which on paper really shouldn’t work), proves engaging, fun and just a little bit magical. Congrats to all concerned.
Some subjects make for unlikely theatre, not least when performed by a lone female on a relatively unencumbered stage. But in amongst the myriad missteps and misfires are occasional jewels and playwright Hannah Kumari’s ENG-ER-LAND is one of those multi-faceted and brilliant small-scale gems.