A Shark Ate My Penis: A History of Boys Like Me
Comedy (lgbtq+, musical comedy)
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Venue 14Gilded Balloon Teviot - Wee Room
- 18:00
- Aug 28
- 1 hour
- Country: United States
- Group: Laser the Transboy / Rhymes with Purple
- Warnings and additional info: Scenes of a sexual nature, Strong language/swearing
- Accessibility: May not apply to all performances. You'll find more information about accessibile performances and how to book tickets in the accessibility tab below.
- Babes in arms policy: Babies do not require a ticket
- Policy applies to: Children under 2 years
Description
Award-winning writer Laser the Boy presents a one-person musical about the history of trans men and his own transition! Meet Alan Hart, the first trans man to get gender-confirming surgery (in 1917!); Samuel Bundy, whose legend includes a shark, a robbery, and 12 girlfriends; and renowned children's author JK Rowling, for reasons. These characters usher Laser through a life of weddings, divorce, lesbianism, and finally, joy. A fantastically delightful, fun, and heartfelt modern musical. It's nice to watch a show not thinking, 'Well, they could have made this gayer.'Please note that while all media gallery content is provided by verified members of the event, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society does not review or approve this content before it is posted. Reports of inappropriate content or copyright infringement can be directed to [email protected].
General venue access
- Accessible entry: The building is accessed by 8 steps or an external wheelchair lift, once inside there is level access to this space.
- Stairs: 6 - 10
Wheelchair access type: Level Access, Lift (Building Lift)
Each venue can contain several space with different accessibly information. Visit the venue page for full venue accessibility info
How and when to make an access booking
- Phone: +44 (0)131 226 0002
- Email: [email protected]
- Textphone: +44 (0)7860 018 299
- Find out more about access at the Fringe.
Our access tickets service is available to anyone who:
- Would like to book specific accessibility services, e.g. a hearing loop, audio description headsets, captioning units, seating in relation to the location of the BSL interpreter
- Requires extra assistance when at a venue
- Has specific seating requirements
- Is a wheelchair user
- Requires a complimentary personal assistant ticket to attend a performance
Neil T. 33 days ago
A wonderfully-woven fabric of the historical Euro-American context and the personal experiences of a transmasculine history. It was immensely fun to watch and I felt included and validated by Laser's performance. I loved the gimmicky time-travel aspect and warmed up to the cheesy pop songs, because the campiness of the production suited the story it wanted to tell--it is an expression of trans joy, not a tale of doom and misery. Learning about trans individuals through history made me respect their resilience and gave me strength to respect myself. The audience energy was through the roof, so I think I speak for many of us who watched Laser.
As the production cites books such as "Female Husbands" as sources of inspiration, it was a well-backed-up introduction to transness in history and a great jumping-off point for exploring more trans history. The script, introducing historical figures and relating them to modern day, was smooth and the performance was very well-paced. In the historical bits, the songs aided audience comprehension and empathy--my favourite song was probably that detailing the relationship between James Howe and Mary (and on this note, someone should write a musical about all those Marys/make a musical version of "Female Husbands").
Overall, this was an invaluable watch. Thank you Laser for telling your story.
Ray 35 days ago
As an NB human, this show made my soul sing.
Tisie 36 days ago
Interesting in a clever way, combining Laser's real life experiences and the stories of Trans men in history. Should be compulsory for all narrow minded people to watch....and learn! I agree JKR talks alot of shite, but any discussion on gender issues is never black and white.
Declan 'TéléDex-BaBrBo' Bracewell 43 days ago
What a sweet, hilarious visit to the Wee Room. A great mix of autobiography and biography of other trans men. A sweet, nerdy-sounding voice bringing some good tunes, including the occasional emotional one. And then, a cameo of Robert Galbraith, which we all laughed at twice. Because why not? Well done, Laser!
Lee Newbrook 45 days ago
I'm so glad I got to see this show! It was one of my favourites that I've ever seen at Fringe!
It's not your 'typical' musical, and a wonderful one-man show. Laser is very talented and hilarious. His songs were catchy and his comedic timing was perfect. The show was also educational to boot (who knew so many historical trans men had wives named Mary?)!
As a trans man myself, I related a lot to parts of Laser's story, and was so happy to see such representation, especially in such a positive way!
Not trans yourself, or even part of the wider LGBT+ community? Don't worry, Laser's show was also very accessible to cisgender and straight people, and overall a great and hilarious time!
Laura Kemp 47 days ago
This is a beautiful, hilarious, heart-warming and super fun ride through a history of trans men with Laser’s own story interwoven. I laughed, I cried, I identified with so much of Laser’s journey. It’s funny and clever and everyone should see this, not least because it has the best title of any show, and the best songs!
Colin 50 days ago
This was a brilliant show - thoroughly enjoyed it. Funny, clever, moving, informative.
Edison 50 days ago
A perfect mix of trans joy, trans history and songs about both
Felix 52 days ago
This show is a super fun and creative display of trans joy! I highly recommend it.
Participants - for further details on our audience and published review policies, including how to add or opt out of reviews, please click here.
Starburst Magazine 37 days ago
Lost in Theatreland 39 days ago
Participants - for further details on our audience and published review policies, including how to add or opt out of reviews, please click here.
Participants - for further details on our audience and published review policies, including how to add or opt out of reviews, please click here.