Brendon Ludlow
18 Aug 2026
Trans People Are Awful — A Fierce, Confronting Look at the Trans Experience ★★★★
Trans People Are Awful is a creative, complex and deeply confronting solo show that takes the trans experience and examines it through an unexpected lens.
From its strong opening, the production establishes that this isn’t going to be a conventional piece of storytelling. One of its most effective devices is the deconstruction of a spoon, transforming something completely ordinary into an analogy for identity, bodies and the trans experience. It sounds bizarre on paper, but on stage it becomes remarkably poignant.
The script covers an enormous amount of territory. Autism, mental health, veganism, violence and the value of human life all find their way into a narrative that is deliberately full-on. At times, there is almost too much to process, but that intensity also feels integral to the work.
There are moments of greatness, moments of quiet reflection and moments that are genuinely difficult to watch. The performance doesn’t shy away from the physical and psychological pain that can accompany gender dysphoria, or the extraordinary lengths some trans people may go to in seeking relief and feeling at home within their bodies.
Despite the darkness of its subject matter, the show ultimately offers an affirming perspective on trans lives. Its juxtaposition of absurdity, humour and deeply serious material prevents it from becoming a straightforward piece of trauma theatre.
The acting is strong, the script inventive, and the extensive use of props gives the production its own distinctive theatrical language. You’re frequently left on the edge of your seat wondering exactly where it is going next.
Trans People Are Awful is messy, intelligent, sad, strange and unapologetically challenging. Most importantly, it puts an experience onstage that deserves to be seen, discussed and understood.
An important Fringe show with something substantial to say.
★★★★