Review: TRANSPOSE JOY: PIT PARTY, Barbican

Go down to the very bottom floor of the Barbican Theatre and you'll find the Pit, where performers Mzz Kimberley, Felix Mufti and Ebony Rose Dark are celebrating the creativity of trans artists using dance, rap and theatre.

Founded by CN Lester, curated by Campbell X and directed by Tabby Lamb, the show certainly has it all - from emotional monologues about trans rights and raps about the police's treatment of minorities to a performer dressed as a rainbow penis swaying around the stage.

Transpose JOY does not shy away from acknowledging the dangers that minorities face in their daily lives. It begins with a film from Campbell X looking at racial oppression within the USA, from Jim Crow to Black Lives Matter. Finding strength in that despite all of these things, black voices have survived.

The existence and the premise of the show suggest that trans people too can thrive despite the oppression and discrimination they face day-to-day, particularly in the UK. Acknowledging the situation in the UK, one of the performers announces "J.K. Rowling can kiss my ass" - much to the happiness of the audience.

When the performers first appear on the stage, in order to make the show more accessible they describe their outfits for those audiences members who are visually impaired. This continues after each costume change throughout the production. It leads to some quite comedic moments as Mzz Kimberley regales the audience with tales of how she's "wearing white boots that [she] got out of a bin on the way here", or how she was given a piece of clothing from "a random prostitute."

Each of the three performers presents different styles of entertainment. Felix Mufti performs rap poetry in front of a series of videos in which he also appears. Mufti's performance is extremely entertaining, although perhaps not one for more prudish audiences, given that it's full of twerking. With fun music and the repeated mentions of wearing Juicy Couture hot pants, he still brings up some serious points, like mentioning the treatment of minorities by the police.

Visually impaired performer - or as she would say, VIP - Ebony Rose Dark brilliantly mixes comedy and dance, using a range of styles, like magnificently performing in "Dorothy style" red platform heels, and later dancing with golden walking canes decorated to give the appearance of wings. Dark then returns to the stage dressed as a rainbow penis, hilariously swaying back and forth. Her performances are certainly as joyful as the production advertises itself to be.

But perhaps the standout performer of the night is Mzz Kimberley. Bringing hilarity to the interludes between the acts, Kimberley's performances are the most serious of the bunch, including a monologue about the suffering of trans people at the hands of "gender critical" campaigners. She also beings powerful vocals to a number of songs.

While all of the cast are great, the production faces something of a setback with the limitations on the number of performers. At times it can feel repetitive, with the same people coming back to repeat similar acts. Nevertheless, it's certainly still a fun event, one that will have the viewer both laughing and tearing up.

Transpose JOY: Pit Party played at the Barbican

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