Dylan Adler appears out of the dark, with fabulous purple kimono and matching eye-catching shorts, and before he speaks a single word he’s singing whole sentences. It’s a great introduction, he’s built for musical theatre with great diction and a marvellous set of lungs. Punchlines are nicely paced as he introduces us to his schoolkid self, deliberately and sweetly misunderstanding his homophobic bullies and tormentors. Adler is reaching for the stars. And they may also be a twinkle in his eye as he jumps up from the keyboard, his fingers in a familiar ‘V’ sign with a crude delight and a pink tongue affectionately waggling at his audience.
This is the balance of Adler’s show, part showcase polish and part high energy camp. His show’s title comes from a cultural misunderstanding and his love of vogue culture, and also nods to the autobiographical elements he dips into. Adler has a fascinating familial background, mimicking his mother’s allyship when he and his twin brother came out with affectionate cattiness, and showing a deep warmth towards the biography and temperament of his ojiisan Japanese grandfather.
The original songs he dips into – both full length and snatches of – have a lyrical fun and clarity that showcase Adler’s musical theatre talents neatly, although some of what he says is lost in fast speech and punctuation dance moves that may be on flic but are at the expense of his punchlines. There are a certain amount of assumptions regarding ‘common’ cultural references, such as asian gay porn traits, gay slang, or call and response answers met with blank faces, that just assume too much and need a bit more explanation.
Adler is right, he has star quality. Glimpses of it come through, along with big swathes of shiney dazzle. All he needs now is a little polishing.
Dylan Adler: Haus of Dy-Lan, 19.30, Beside at Pleasant Courtyard, 19.30, until 24 August (except 12)
https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/dylan-adler-haus-of-dy-lan
