Ti Malik Coleman’s opening performance at the Vancouver Fringe was a love fest, and I’m one hundred percent certain that’s going to continue for the rest of the run. That’s partly because, from the opening seconds of this stand-up/storytelling routine, you can tell you’re in the hands of a smart, warm, confident performer. Coleman has an important story to tell: it’s about his journey from tomboy to butch dyke to trans man. Coleman elaborates this crucial form of cultural witness with humble, observant, funny material. When he’s little, he’s shocked to realize, “I’m the only eight-year-old bachelor left.” When menstruation hits, there’s defiance and a refusal to wear so-called feminine products: “I’m going to bleed on everything and everybody until we get this cleared up. Power to the people!” But shortly after that, “The inevitability of my body started breaking my heart.” As far as I’m concerned, the only element of this show that needs work is the ending. Coleman knows what he wants to say and he’s got the right ironic line: contrary to his expectations, he finds out that, as with other men, being a man means “I’m going to be insecure for the rest of my life.” Good point. If Coleman structured the build-up more carefully, it would land with more force.
At the Vancouver Fringe Festival. Remaining performances at The Revue Stage: September 7, 9:45 pm; September 8, 1:30 pm; September 10, 9:00 pm; September 13, 5:00 pm; September 14, 4:10 pm. Tickets
(Photo by Stacey Hallal)
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