Rupert Bevan delivers a powerhouse performance in Darling Boy, a one-man show exploring longing, love and loneliness in a queer coming of age story that is both poignant and mesmerising.
It charts a young man’s journey through the dizzying highs and crushing lows of first love, and the concurrent thrill and emptiness of hook-up culture as he makes his way through the Melbourne club scene, grappling with both internalised and external homophobia.
The writing is sharp, fast and deliciously funny, and Bevan brims with awkward energy, deftly capturing the aching self-consciousness of youth and the desperate search for belonging. Trying to balance conflicting desires of what his heart wants and what he thinks is expected of him, he struggles to know where he fits in.
Confessing that he doesn’t even watch Drag Race, he’s forced to ask himself, “am I a bad gay?”
This question lies at the heart of the play. It’s ultimately a story of identity and self-discovery, but above all, it’s an exploration of connection – to himself, his community and his home town, and to his family. The writing in these moments, particularly when talking to his parents, who are both battling their own internal turmoil, is at its finest.
While Bevan hams up his role as sassy gay best friend, tearing up the dance floor and writhing with conquests in satin sheets, he also invites us to look beyond one-dimensional caricatures. The result is a deeply textured rendering of the complexity and plurality of life for young gay men in modern times.
The story is brought to an ending that feels a little abrupt and unsatisfying, but it doesn’t detract from the play’s overall impact. The applause for Bevan kept going, and it wasn’t hard to see why. A captivating and memorable show from a rising star.
Darling Boy is at Assembly George Square Studios (Underground) until 16 August.
