4 STARS
Somewhere to belong was a brilliantly witty and clever exploration of societal views on bisexuality and the implications of this often damaging narrative on all people who are attracted to more than one gender.
Using the setting of a gameshow, Kim Scopes – the writer and performer – demonstrated the ridiculous and often performative reality of being a bisexual person. This environment allowed Kim to illustrate just how judgemental society can be, how easily they can get in the way of one finding that ‘somewhere to belong’ and ultimately, how fragile that ‘somewhere’ can be.
The play began with Scopes emerging from a box to a seemingly new and confusing environment, one which needed some exploration. Full of boxes and rubble, the stage was also adorned with white tape on the floor and walls; a stage decoration which we later understood to symbolise exploration, or perhaps at least the voices of others within the bisexual community which might make one feel more understood. Upon tearing these pieces from the floor, CK (the contestant) discovered these to unveil relatable testimonies of those within her community. This momentary exploration, however, was interrupted by the beginning of the gameshow.
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The chosen ‘rounds’ of this show accompanied by the often-dissatisfied reaction of the host, worked perfectly to symbolise the high standards to which society holds a bisexual person, to ‘impress them’ and prove that they belong within queer community. The gameshow host judging CK’s performance, showed how challenging her to various tasks such as comedy, fashion shows and lip-syncing to ‘OUR favourite song’ (which happened to be I kissed a Girl by Katy Perry), stood in the way of acceptance, should it not please the audience. Reactions from the judge such as ‘you better make it sexy’ and ‘cheeky’ ‘wink wink’ referred to the fetishization which often comes along with the bisexual coming out experience.
While understanding the deeper and potentially uncomfortable meaning of the play, room was certainly left for fun and laughter during the performance, but I would hope that upon leaving, regardless of their sexuality, any audience member would come to appreciate the importance of having somewhere to belong, and how difficult it may be to come upon for some marginalised groups.
