Tuck! review

An abstracted amalgam of comedy, sex and biological disgust, Tuck! (directed by Lou Bristow-Bell) describes itself as a "boundary-pushing psycho-dream" play. An apt epithet. On this occasion, Tuck! takes residence in the Baron's Court Theatre, nestling itself under the black painted brick arches of the pub cellar venue - a suitably unsettling setting. 

The cast of Tuck! is exemplary. Of particular note are Jack Heffran and Samantha Begeman, who manage to effortlessly recreate the awkward flirting of a couple - in this scene the dialogue shines too. The comic timing and ability to enthral an audience that the entire cast possesses has to be commended. 

The play's disturbing moments include: the description of a group ritualistically sucking the blood out of a used tampon, a woman achieving orgasm through being told by how petite she is, and the question "are you wet?" answered not with words - but by reaching between their legs and discovering copious amounts of blood. That said, Tuck always manages to sit in this uncanny place between the freakish and the funny. 

And Tuck! is so brilliantly funny. Be it from showcasing the odd and embarrassing conversations between partners, or the melodramatic lip-sync performance of "Time to say Goodbye", the play rarely fails to get a laugh. A personal highlight of hilarity was the scene using a chopped and glitching version of Katy Perry's Teenage dream - with its lyrics involving "skin" and getting "your heart racing" taking on a new, eerie meaning. Shocking and comical in equal measure was the moment when, after peeling off a section of their own skin "The Figure" (as played by Abigail Sinclair) discards the dead flesh over the shoulder, and straight into my face. 

Tuck! is a play that has been built in collaboration with its company, and has been mutating and evolving across performances. There is a real importance in having queer media that directly represents its contributors. The ever-changing nature of Tuck's construction brings to mind the work of visual artist Rose Schmits - whose work is described as "seemingly ready to scuttle away". Schmitt's work and Tuck! both present work as metaphors for a trans body: a body in motion. 

An interesting facet of Tuck! is that all its grotesqueness is contextualised within queer identity. It seems to pose the queer experience as fundamentally violent or horrific (both external and self-inflicted). This violence is perhaps a way to “create” a body or identity of comfort - in the way a plastic surgeon may augment a body. 

Is there something fundamentally disgusting about the act queer self-exploration, or is it just perceived as such by outsiders? 

Tuck! comes across to me as more of a non-narrative play, and as such is slightly hard to grapple with. If the goal of Tuck! is to convey a queer experience, I think supplementary material is necessary. I personally found reading an interview with Bristow-Bell beforehand made the Tuck! "experience" much more rewarding, but a programme essay (for example) would be useful too. 

The queer body-horror that is Tuck!, was for me a thoroughly enjoyable evening, in a way that I still cannot quite comprehend. It is perhaps best suited to fans of drag and insanity. I am looking forward to seeing not just how the play continues to evolve, but Lou Bristow-Bell's future projects. ★★★★☆

Thank you to Lou Bristow-Bell and the company of Tuck! for inviting me. Tickets were provided free of charge and I was given full control over the content of the review.