Issy Cory
Eliot has Goblin. It’s us, we are Goblin. Gobs. Goberino. We are Eliot’s imaginary friend, guiding him through the trials and tribulations of being a 16 year-old emo kid in 2007. Not an easy task.
In high school, Eliot is trying desperately to appear straight, whilst also trying to find someone to spoon with, whilst also navigating grief-stricken, totally unhinged parents at home. As he writes a letter to his future self in Life Skills class, he wonders what that future might hold.
He doesn’t bargain for the older, ‘cooler’ men that start appearing in his life, like his camp counselor, or British reality TV star Max. Their sudden interest in Eliot catches him off-guard, and quickly he is swept up in an all-too-familiar tale.
If you’ve ever wondered how to do a solo show, Derek Mitchell: Goblin is how. He bowls us over with his hilarity within seconds of him entering the bare stage. Each twitch of his eyebrow, each turn of his mouth is choreographed; every line that he speaks is intentional, necessary, and gripping.
Mitchell puts us in an impossible position as audience/Goblin, forcing us to witness the terrifying grasp that Max has over Eliot’s life. As punchlines and tragedy merge, we question every instance we’re invited to laugh, wondering whether these are harmless jokes or a way to distract from the devastation.
The stakes are beyond high, and I am on the edge of my seat for the show’s entirety. As time passes, Emo Eliot transforms into Elio, the name attributed to him by ‘boyfriend’ Max. 16 years-old turns into 26, turns into 32, and we are frozen watching Eliot’s life unfold in the most heartbreaking way.
A play about coercive control could easily turn into endless trauma porn, but Mitchell’s concept is spectacularly pitched. As Goblin, we are intertwined with the story, moving through it with Eliot. It calls attention to all the toxic, criminal relationships that constantly slip through society’s net, seen but not heard.
At the end of the play, Eliot’s therapist encourages him to speak about his past with Max through the guise of a fairytale, saying it’s helpful to format it in a way that provides distance. Isn’t that the meaning of Goblin? Theatre being used as a tool to reveal our darkest selves, to utter the truths we cannot bear to speak. It is superbly clever.
Mitchell, Eliot, and Goblin give us a reason to not be afraid. They smash our hearts into a million pieces and then bitch to us about the new version of ‘Queer Eye’. They give us a space, a sense of togetherness. They give us our very own Goblin.
Recommended Drink: Blended up corn, courtesy Mom’s latest fad diet.
You can catch Derek Mitchell: Goblin at Former Gents Locker Room at Summerhall from Aug 5-10, 12-17, 19-24 at 21:50. Tickets are available through the EdFringe Online Box Office.
Jake Mace
Lamesha Ruddock
Jasmine Silk
