‘Testo’ is a visceral experience. This is Wet Mess’s debut, but their accomplished performance and choreography are a culmination of their years spent working on short-form club acts as a genre-redefining drag artist, and with well-regarded ensembles as a live artist and dancer. Combining movement with a range of recorded interviews, ‘Testo’ presents an intimate trans reality filled with desire, humour, and complexity. Distinctively fleshy set and props take us within Wet Mess’s body and mind, challenging mainstream media’s sensationalised depictions and discussions of trans experiences. Some design elements felt underused, including a digital panel that could have captioned the audio interviews (which sometimes become hard to follow) but ‘Testo’ balances clownish playfulness with intense corporeality in an impactful debut.

Zoo Southside, until Aug 25.
tw rating 4/5 | [Bizz Holmes]