My overall impression
As he parades around the stage in a “Most Unique” sash in his one-man show, Michael Mullen perpetuates the very stereotypes he aims to dispel. The Sum of My Parts tells the arduously long story of Mullen’s gender and sexual identity crisis. From playing with dolls to his first boyfriend, Mullen painstakingly recounts lists of details that make him different from all the other little boys and girls. That unique difference, however, is quickly shattered whenever Mullen breaks to brag to the audience that he knows things about dresses and make-up because he’s gay- effectively lumping all gay men into a stereotype of effeminacy.
The purpose of the piece seems to be Mullen’s embracing of his duality, but that purpose is clouded by his self-doubt and reliance on stereotype. He is much less sharing his story, as he is working out issues in front of an audience. More theatrical therapy session than one-man show, this may be just the thing Mullen’s needs for self-acceptance, but he forgets that a performance is for the audience- not the performer.
Running just over an hour and a half, The Sum of My Parts could have been reduced to a compact hour simply by removing the word “okay” from Mullen’s vocabulary.
The strongest aspect of the show is the direction by Louise Hung, which allows Mullen’s to pull a variety of costume pieces off a series of mannequins to become the various women in his life.
What could have been an eye-opening drag show is, instead, just a show that drags.
