What I liked
There was a real precision to Josiah’s performance that I found extremely impressive. His ability to go back and fourth between so many different characters—sometimes within the same scene—all while giving them each distinct quirks and personalities is the mark of a skilled actor.
The mermaid scene was so funny I actually thought I was gonna lose consciousness. Every monologue as Joshua was incredible and subtlety devastating, and the whole cheese lady sequence was a masterclass in audience participation. Sound and lighting design were always on point; the sound of the pastor getting “flayed” was appropriately gnarly.
What I didn't like
I was so looking forward to the “sloppy wet kiss” verse of “How He Loves” at the beginning. It’d have fit perfectly with the tone of the play and I would’ve loved to to hear Josiah deliver that line in his southern preacher voice.
My overall impression
I grew up a gay church kid. For as long as I can remember, I’ve found men attractive and for as long as I remember, that made me feel different and ostracized. Hearing so much of my internal monologue verbalized like this was powerful, hysterical, a little triggering, and deeply cathartic.
To me, this show was a reminder of why great art is so important. We all have different voices in our heads telling us to be different things. Josiah took his voices and made them sing. He took all that spiritual anguish and turned it into something wonderful, and for a while there, all my voices felt heard. You can’t put a price on that.
