The biggest question hanging over the Manhattan Theatre Club production is, what are we doing here? It\u2019s doubtful the Venn diagram of those who follow professional snooker on the telly and patrons who pony up for a Broadway show has substantial overlap. Maybe snooker will be made into a metaphor for the state of Britain, or mankind and his innermost battles. Maybe the latest from the playwright who made James Corden into a star with <\/span>One Man, Two Guvnors<\/span><\/i> will be such a laugh riot that we\u2019ll forgive its not adding up to much. Alas, no.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n If you\u2019re reading this review, it\u2019s likely the inclusion of Alexandra Billings among the cast that peaked your interest. Would it surprise you to learn that her character follows in a long and worn out tradition of queer villains? Or that her character\u2019s trans<\/a> identity is the butt<\/a> of numerous tired jokes and punchlines involving mixed-up pronouns and gendered expectations? <\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019ll admit, it came as a surprise to me that before her entrance, a reference to her \u201coperation\u201d includes a joke that compares her bygone penis<\/a> to \u201ca dead German hanging out the window.\u201d And that, as her character was a gangster before transitioning, they wonder whether she poses the same threat given that \u201cshe\u2019s a woman<\/a> now.\u201d And that her character is so absurdly called\u2026 Waxy Bush. (The surname derives from her owning beauty parlors that offer bikini waxes; for no similarly discernable reason, the only South Asian character\u2019s name is Mohammad Butt.)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n Under Daniel Sullivan\u2019s direction, the play sputters to take off as a farce and lacks the tautness or suspense of a madcap caper. (You may even spot the rub halfway through.) At the outset, Waxy asks our honorable leading man<\/a> and boffo snooker player (Ben Schnetzer) to throw a game in the world championships so she can win a bet and earn back the cash she\u2019s already invested in his success. A team of investigators is sniffing around trying to bust her; his parents are knocking around too, because the tournament\u2019s on his home turf of Sheffield. Games are played, money is talked, jokes land but more often fall flat.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n The good news is, Billings is the best part of the show, making the most of her character\u2019s cheap if often funny recurring gags. One of them is her one wooden arm (don\u2019t ask). The other is Waxy\u2019s tendency to use the wrong word with conviction (e.g. \u201cWhether she slept with him or not is irreverent!\u201d). That her role has been cast with a trans<\/a> actress should feel like a win; given Bean\u2019s bottom-barrel humor here, it\u2019s clear that using a man<\/a> in drag would suit the play\u2019s tone just fine. But Billings deserves better, and so do we.<\/span><\/p>\n Recent theatre features\u2026 Follow Naveen Kumar on Twitter: @Mr_NaveenKumar The post Trans Representation Comes at a Price in \u2018The Nap\u2019 on Broadway: REVIEW<\/a> appeared first on Towleroad Gay News<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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<\/a><\/em>(photos: joan marcus)<\/p>\n