Review: Edinburgh 2024: DYLAN MULVANEY: FAGHAG, Assembly George Square Studios

“Dylan Mulvaney is gonna be the least problematic woman there was!”

Dylan Mulvaney: FAGHAG, written and performed by Mulvaney herself and directed by Tim Jackson, tells Mulvaney’s life story, focusing on her journey with her gender and the transphobia she has been forced to face.

Before the show, Mulvaney is walking through the audience dressed as an angel in a white dress with large white wings behind her. She then goes onto the stage and the show begins with her character, Angel 666, being assigned to a new life on Earth (her last life as JonBenét Ramsey didn’t go so well). Angel 666 is given the role of Dylan Mulvaney, and that is where the show really begins.

The set, designed by Tom Rogers, is impressive for a Fringe show; a dramatic pink space with a screen in the centre that is cleverly used to put the show in different spaces. Accompanied with lighting designed by Gillian Tan, the set becomes a character in its own right, nearly glowing with the amount of bright colours popping out. 

We are introduced to Mulvaney at the age of four when she goes to a Costco Minute Clinic and, after being diagnosed with gender dysphoria, is given “Twink,” a pill, by the doctor after Mulvaney’s mother refuses to allow her to transition into the body of a woman. Mulvaney goes to a Catholic school in which she is rejected by those in power, with one priest even directly telling her “I cannot absolve your sins” during Confession, a difficult thing for anyone to hear, let alone a young woman in need.

There is one moment of audience participation in which Mulvaney chooses a straight man to read lines from a script as a man named Mike, hilariously claiming that this particular audience participation is trans allyship with the straight male community. There is also a moment of fun audience participation with a gay man in the audience that leads to some fun moments. 

As Mulvaney’s fame grows, she is given opportunities to be an activist for trans rights, though this is discouraged by the brand she is being sponsored by, “Transpalatability,” a company that is happy for Mulvaney to be their representative as long as she doesn’t stray too much from the status quo. However, things quickly change when Mulvaney becomes a partner for a beer company in the States, leading to her receiving death threats and other horrible responses from conservatives. 

Along with the funny moments, there are also some more sombre ones, including a scene where Mulvaney is in a space known as “Off the Binary,” a safe space where she discovers she can identify in any way she wants without judgement. It’s a beautiful moment that had me quite emotional, especially after all of the challenges Mulvaney had faced since childhood without this safe space waiting for her. 

At the end of the show, there is a beautiful epilogue in which we find out what happened to some of the characters in the story, including some lovely twists! There is also a song that Mulvaney encourages the audience to sing along to called “I Am A Woman,” though the lyrics get into more of the specifics of Mulvaney’s gender identity and are quite difficult to repeat after only hearing one time!

Ultimately, Dylan Mulvaney: FAGHAG is a powerful show that tells the story of a trans woman’s journey in discovering herself, a story that deserves all of the glitz and glamour Mulvaney happily provides. I look forward to seeing more performances from her in the future!

Dylan Mulvaney: FAGHAG ran until 25 at Assembly George Square Studios - Studio Two.

Photo Credit: Marc Brenner

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