Review: PALATABLE GAY ROBOT, Phoenix Arts Club

The description of Palatable Gay Robot from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival states, “Stephen Brower begs the question, how gay is too gay?” Not something that you would expect from a show about a comedian robot, but, Brower is determined to answer this question through a show introducing us to Billie Bowtie, a palatable gay robot who is aiming to become a star.

Palatable Gay Robot begins with our introduction to Billie Bowtie through a voiceless moderator from HumaVibe, who introduces the robot as an AI product from the company that will fit all of your needs as a palatable, gay robot. She helped create his software and claims that Billie is one of her favourites before welcoming him into the world. 

Unfortunately for the moderator, Billie isn’t the perfect robot that was promised to those attending the programme demonstration. After a few clean jokes to appeal to the audience, including a silly British accent when talking about London, Billie begins to “glitch,” making inappropriate jokes that cause the moderator to pause the show with a red flash and buzzer. 

Throughout the show, it is a battle between Billie and the moderator, with the moderator desperately trying to prove that Billie can be the perfect robot even with the occasional glitch and Billie gaining sentience and expressing himself in ways that have been not been programmed. There is a returning bit about Billie being recast in a Broadway show about Britney Spears for someone who had a dancing style that was more “San Diego hip-hop” (you can figure out what musical he’s talking about pretty quickly if you’re up-to-date on Broadway). 

One of the highlights (and most groan-inducing moments) of the show is when Billie manages to fit dozens of technology-themed puns into a story, with a personal favourite of him not being “Pinterested.” There are also frequent references to Timothée Chalamet, including a hilarious Wonka joke that is interrupted by the moderator. But even with silly moments like this, Palatable Gay Robot manages to have some serious scenes that do not take away from the performance, instead adding to Billie’s humanity and giving insight into his thoughts on queerness and what it means to be gay. 

Ultimately, Palatable Gay Robot is a fantastic hour of comedy that does a wonderful job of treading the line between a serious reflection on sexuality and a funny set of standup. I hope to see more of Billie Bowtie (and Brower) in the future!

Palatable Gay Robot ran at the Phoenix Arts Club on 10 September 2023.

Photo Credit: Jaime Prada