Review: Mark Bittlestone: I Need a Straight Guy*

Wearing England's 'World in Motion' football shirt might seem risky in front of a tipsy Scottish crowd on the first Friday of the festivals. Yet Mark Bittlestone, with a bit of customising, has made the shirt very much his own. It expresses a show about becoming comfortable in your own skin, with your own choices, with who you are. 

Bittlestone hasn't long been comfortable with himself. In I Need a Straight Guy* he explores the stages, or rites of passage, a gay man experiences leaving denial and shame behind. This is more of a framework than a theme as Bittlestone entertainingly recounts Grindr stories, embarrassing visits to the sexual health nurse and some of the unsolicited, if curious, pictures he's received from strangers since gaining an online following.

There is perhaps more of a story to tell about a man who seems to be contemplating if certain choices are a reaction to past restrictions or an assertion of current freedom. Yet his comedic routines are smartly structured and the bit of crowd work the title necessities underlines Bittlestone's expert handling of his material and the room. While a few of the punchlines are a little predictable, it is easy to see why he has amassed such an audience. It's an impressive hour.