If a show starts with the self-mocking quip “Spot the pre-op” – the question of personal appearance has been raised. I then commented with that in mind. I also acknowledged the risks that failing to pass after transition can cause – the transgendered people that I know cite this as one of their main worries, that affects them every time they go out in public. I did not “attack each performer’s physical appearance”. Indeed, I praised the performance of the actor who played Mr Jay.

I did criticize, passionately, the script, which was, in my opinion, flawed, in particular the role of the title character in the story. I am at a loss to think of a successful story where the central character is a similar unremitting monster. Especially in a comedy. This villain met no tragic or comic end. She just triumphed. Unchallenged. That just doesn’t do it for me in a story, it sets my teeth on edge. Camp, as a comic style, serves to send up obnoxious behaviour, make it funny. Just being a cruel vindictive person, without irony, isn’t funny.

Saying Poppy exists in our society is precisely the point – if you choose to write a musical about the sort of character who spoke out with bigotry at the time of the Citizenship Referendum, then send her up, or attack her, or do something dramatically with her. Don’t just put her on stage and have everyone dance to her tune without her views or attitude or behaviour being challenged by anyone else in the story.

If it’s not your duty to educate an audience on the nature and experience of the Transgendered Individual, then whose it? If you choose not to, which of course is your right, and you decide to put on a musical that isn’t about being transgendered, then it has to be judged on its merits as dramatic entertainment. If I hate the script, that doesn’t mean I hate or am ignorant of transgendered people – why on Earth should it?

In his spare time Mr Moore ranted about the central character of Poppy and her unrepentant nastiness. Dermod, in repsonse we can only refer you to the title of the production! According to Mr Moore female characters can only be nasty if they are also camp, an attitude favourable with the aging gay man (two can play at that game, Dermod.). It seems the full spectrum of human experience is to be denied the female character who must wiggle her shoulder pads and curl her lip as she tells Dex Dexter to mix her a martini and reload her lip-liner.

Gordon Farrell on Queer I.D was less openly insulting although at times we did wonder if he was confusing the production with a visit to Guatannamo Bay, and we quote:
“At times there was racism, human insensitivity, discrimination in the dialogue – challenging in that is what those who experience all of that, chose to say – when they get an opportunity to speak.”
Dear Gordon many of us having been speaking for quite some time, in fact the youngest member of Shopfloor is a full 20 years of age!

As for our alleged ‘racism’ which so offended both these good men, in the show a character makes the following comment:
“Since I came back to this country (Ireland) I can’t believe the number of non-nationals everywhere. I mean i’d go abroad again but they’re over there too!”
It is an ignorant statement made by a self-obsessed unrepentant character. We devised this character and all characters together through workshops. However, unlike both Dermod and Gordon we have the ability and intelligence to distinguish between ourselves and the characters we have created. And if either gentleman thinks Poppy’s comments are not representative of some members of our society then we need only refer them to the dismal results of the 2004 Citizenship Referendum in this country.

Shopfloor was tagged by the festival as Ireland’s ‘First Transgendered Musical.’ Not everyone involved in Shopfloor is Transgendered although more than half of us are. The focus of the group, however, is dramatic. We are amateurs and we are learning together in the spirity of ‘Fun, Friendship and Freedom.’ Both men spent a lot of time discussing the ‘voice’ of the transgendered as they percieved it in our production. Boys,
between the two of you you have displayed more ignorance on the nature and experience of the Transgendered Individual than the sum of each word of your ‘reviews’ put together. However, it is not our duty to educate you here or indeed on stage. Come to our next show if you are interested in how our fledgling theatrical talents have developed. But if it truly is the voice of the transgendered you’re interested in, go forth into the world, engage and listen.

I’m grateful that you have pointed out my use of the word “chosen” is problematic, and I take the point that being transgendered is not a choice. I was thinking theatrically rather than personally – ie what gender role the actors had chosen to play on stage, as well as on the street. I was also bearing in mind notions of the performativity of gender, ie the difference between an internal sense of gender, and the choice made to express that externally, out on the street or indeed up on stage. Being a gay man is not a choice, if one is 100% homosexual – but how one expresses oneself, dresses oneself, and conforms to established notions of masculinity is, to a large degree, a matter of choice. I realise it is different for transgendered people. Beginning a process of transition from one sex to another is a choice, and when a transgendered person is brave enough to decide to start this process, they risk all sorts of danger, as I said – including ridicule, such as the keyboard player’s “spot the pre-op” gag, which is painfully close to the truth. I know very well the battles that transgendered people have to face; it’s no joke.

My criticism is mostly around the script, and if I don’t find that a dramatic line makes sense, I can’t pretend otherwise. Of course she’s a villain – but, dramatically, if a villain gets away without any challenge or retribution, then it’s curiously ambiguous. There is an attempt to give reasons why she behaved so badly – post natal depression – but that’s really not funny. Yes she was the enemy – but we were expected to laugh at her mean little jokes, and she wasn’t defeated! By the eponymous last line in the show, she’s beaming triumphantly with pleasure.

As for you thinking that reviewers should strive to find the intended humour – please, give me a break. If I don’t find something funny, I just don’t, and no matter how much it’s explained to me, I’m not suddenly going to start laughing. My bewilderment is real – I don’t see how making an ignorant racist unpleasant character the centre of a musical can be funny in itself.

By the way, I’m very glad to get comments like this here. I welcome debate, even if it’s uncomfortable!

Considering some of the lines were ‘dodgy’, regarding race- they were all saved and turned into a joke about the ignorance of this woman. Why you mention specific nationalities when none were referred to is childish. I happened to be sitting at a table with two foreign people, who were more than amused at these lines, finding the intended humour- something that I think reviewers should strive to do.

And as a closing statement, I am shocked and appalled at your throw-away remark about members of the cast ‘passing’ as their ‘chosen’ gender. What kind of a person says this- something that is blatantly disrespectful and then goes on to say that if you were to see another production you would expect ‘the barest minimum of respect for the sensitivity of others’. Your ignorance is also spilling from every letter you type- Just like how gay people don’t ‘choose’ their sexuality- transgendered people don’t choose their gender, I would wholeheartedly recommend knowing about what you type, before you actually type it- I spoke to the extremely friendly cast afterwards, which filled a lot of gaps in my own knowledge- something I gather you did not…?

Perhaps, like the play- you too are an amateur, but unlike this group, without prospect- so I shouldn’t be expecting so much from you, although a little sense would have been very much welcomed.

Kind regards, a most satisfied viewer- Louis.

shopfloor productions, gay theatre festival transgender