Birthmarked at The Lowry
Kristy Stott, Theatre Editor
Described as a “joyful, life affirming show” by Lyn Gardner for The Stage, Brook Tate’s Birthmarked is an extraordinary piece of gig theatre telling the true story of a young Jehovah’s Witness coming to terms with his sexuality. This unmissable show comes to The Lowry for just three performances this month.
It’s an incredibly moving autobiographical show written, performed and composed by Brook Tate, charting his real-life experience growing up as a Jehovah’s Witness and then being banished at the age of 23 because he was gay. Witty and gloriously cheeky, though at times, heartbreaking, we follow Tate’s leap into the unknown – from a faith that believes Armageddon is imminent and that homosexuals will be destroyed – to find his feet (and high heels) in music and performance.
Directed by the Olivier award winner Sally Cookson (A Monster Calls, National Theatre), Tate is supported by a live five-piece band on stage. Playing original music that has been likened to Stevie Wonder and Joni Mitchell, the versatile musicians also multirole as characters in Tate’s journey of self-discovery and self-determination.
Of his show, Brook Tate told us, “With a band of pals, a whale, a giraffe, and eventually a tap dancing zebra, I tell my story of being excommunicated from my family’s religion, the Jehovah’s Witnesses, and hope to spread awareness for those who have experienced similar circumstances. The reception from audiences in Bristol and at the Fringe was way beyond what I could have expected, and we are thrilled to now be able to bring the show to Salford.”
Birthmarked is a remarkably personal coming-of-age story performed with sincerity, warmth and humour. Moving from muted grey suits to glittering high heels – via a paintbrush, tap shoes and a Whale named Gail – Tate finds his truth. With a stunning soundtrack, simple staging and beguiling puppetry, Birthmarked is a must-see performance about a young man who was marked out at birth, but ends up telling his own unique story.
