BRIGHTON FRINGE: KINDER – The Lantern

Performer/Writer/Producer: Ryan Stewart

A drag queen bustles around as we enter the Lantern Theatre. In a thick Germanic accent, they welcome us and continue their preparations as we take our seats. This is Goody Prostate and we soon find out that the performance they are preparing for is not quite what they were expecting it to be. The “reading hour” at the local library is not in fact referring to the antagonistic drag queen tradition of reading each other for filth but rather a children’s reading hour at an actual library. Goody is then faced with the prospect of rearranging their act for a younger audience and in the process undergoes a re-examination of their own childhood. It’s equal parts entertaining and hardhitting.

It’s clear from the beginning that Goody is the real thing. Resplendent in rhinestoned lederhosen and pierrot face makeup, they lip-sync to a pop song in German. There’s a backstage musical feel that is reminiscent of Cabaret and at one point Goody slyly acknowledges this provenance by using “scheisse Minelli” to curse.

As they begin to rethink their act, they change costumes and unpack their belongings and soon the floor is covered with the messy detritus of someone with a lot of processing to do. The theme of childhood is tackled as Goody ponders why anyone would want to have a child. This leads on to memories of their parents – tender moments with their mother and the shocking homophobia of their father.

There’s a pleasing arc to the show with a one-person stream of consciousness narrative that organically spirals out, showing a person experiencing varying emotions in a believable way – from the charismatic ecstasy of the lip-syncing routines to the despair and hysteria of someone faced with difficult home truths. It can be easy for a show like this to feel didactic, like someone is telling you how to feel about a certain issue, but Ryan Stewart deftly manages to illustrate the plight of a queer person navigating the bigotry of their own family as well as the wider world whilst keeping it entertaining. The use of props (including a show-stealing bowl of fruit loops), lighting, costume and sound all went a long way to help achieve this, coming together to form a cheeky yet moving piece of comedic theatre.

Runs until 7 May 2026