Milk Presents: Self Service

Reclaiming words can be tough. Many underrepresented groups go this way, and sometimes violence is the only viable option. In Milk Presents: Self Service, however, “queer” is shouted from the multi-coloured rooftops and made positive with no aggression whatsoever. This fabulously enjoyable queer cabaret is filthy, flirty cheeky, and far more complex than the glittery surface would have you believe.

Using two audience members as comperes, Milk Presents (Adam Robertson, Lucy Doherty and Ruby Glaskin) take us through a series of sketches, jokes and songs, exploring what "queer" means, has meant and might mean. They playfully deconstruct their arguments at every turn, turning questions on themselves as much as us. Indeed, some of the funniest and most thoughtful moments don’t come out of their mouths at all, as they mime along to verbatim recordings of people discussing sexuality and gender, creating a kind of stage version of Creature Comforts in the process. At every turn, the company is open and welcoming, forcing us to question heteronormativity innate in social structures with the odd bit of arse-clenching to the rhythm of ‘Like A Prayer’.

Aesthetic choices are perfectly pitched, with an overhead projector transporting us through rainbow clouds and colourful Russian propaganda. Granted, some speeches towards the end of Self Service might be a tad didactic, but the process of making queer complex in the previous 60 minutes allows it. And trust me, until you’ve seen ‘Single Ladies’ performed as a Riot Grrrl tribute, you haven’t lived.