Freddie Haberfellner
Pulsing lights, club beats… it’s someone’s birthday! Ollie, played by Fraser Kelsey is celebrating with his bestie but soon the night takes him on a number of alcohol and drug-fuelled hookups because that’s what gay men do, right?! DESPERATE WEE GAY BOY brings up some big themes around connection, hookup culture and self-worth but fails to explore them fully, denying its protagonist the journey of growth that would have made this play as good as Kelsey’s performance.
From kissing his closeted high school crush to finding out his Grindr hookup failed to disclose that he has a wife and child, Ollie really does not have a lot of luck with men – something many of us can surely relate to. Gay hookup culture seems to revolve only around sex, around quick satisfaction, drugs, alcohol… it’s fast-paced and, like this play, you might really enjoy it whilst it’s happening but realise afterwards that you’re not fully satisfied.
DESPERATE WEE GAY BOY doesn’t just introduce us to Ollie, but also to his best friend who is celebrating with him. However, she disappears almost immediately after receiving a text from her boyfriend. But Ollie barely takes notice because it’s his birthday and his old high school crush has just walked into the club. Things go well at first, but his crush flees the scene when Ollie asks him if he’s gay now?
The upset only lasts a moment, then a Grindr notification leads Ollie to the home of one of his regulars. When that hookup is derailed due to the guy’s wife coming home, our protagonist makes a run for it and ends up in a sauna where he finally seems to get lucky, except the guy rejects him when Ollie asks for his number post-hookup. Then follows a confrontation with Ollie’s best friend, another doomed encounter with his high school crush, and a rather odd plot twist involving Grindr hookup’s wife.
In all the action, however, DESPERATE WEE GAY BOY fails to hold Ollie accountable or truly show the consequences of his actions. Whilst he is confronted with the ways he’s hurt people like his best friend due to how self-involved he is, there barely is any time left to explore if and how he might do better. We’re shown that the issue is resolved but without any visible change in the character, or a lesson learnt.
This might only be a symptom of a bigger issue, however, which is that both the best friend and the wife – the two women – feel more like plot devices than fully fleshed-out characters. Whilst it would be one thing for Ollie to view them as such, the play itself could do a better job at acknowledging the fullness of their humanity and complexity of their situations.
That being said, Ollie himself is a beautifully crafted character thanks to Kelsey’s fantastic performance. From his comedic timing to his physicality, his acting is spot-on and despite Ollie’s many flaws he comes across as almost endearing at times, someone you can’t help but root for.
Overall, DESPERATE WEE GAY BOY is a fun time thanks to the brilliant performer but could be a stronger and more nuanced piece if it spent less time on sexcapades and a little more on the consequences.
Recommended Drink: Tequila shots!
You can catch DESPERATE WEE GAY BOY at Belly Dancer @ Underbelly Cowgate from 5 – 30 August at 17:45 (50 minutes). Tickets are available through the EdFringe Online Box Office.
Lola Rose Wood
Hannah Hamilton
Finlay Clench
