Review: Pup Play: A Queer Pseudo-Lecture (Of Sorts), Barons Court Theatre

If you are looking for a production which includes LGBTQIA+ activism, an exploration of queer culture from an academic perspective and a loud-mouthed puppet, then Pup Play: A Queer Pseudo-Lecture (Of Sorts) may be the production for you. This is not a typical stage play, but rather part of a PhD dissertation involving a performative lecture and an optional questionnaire for the audience after the show. Neither is this your typical classroom lecture, but a rather an informative performance around queer subculture and a call for activism.

At the centre of the production is Professor Handler David, played by Noah Alfred Pantano, who also wrote this performative lecture. It explores the queer fetish subculture of Pup Play, which involves getting into a submissive puppy headspace. Pantano has clearly put in much research, with the show discussing the history of queer fetish subculture, connections to events such as the AIDS epidemic, plus a brief history of Pup Play itself. Along with his research, he offers an incredibly raw, unfiltered and deeply personal study of what Pup Play represents not just for queer culture, but for him himself.

Throughout the entire production, Pantano hides nothing from his audience, going to great lengths of vulnerability to get his message across, with that message being one of activism, and taking a stand for the queer cause. One of the core themes of this event is around fear: the fear of being an authentic self, the fear of losing oneself, and the fear of other people. While Pantano is clear and direct with his communication to his audience, there is hardly a single moment where he does not appear nervous and frightened in some way. Yet, it is unclear why the production is titled a ‘Pseudo-Lecture’ as pseudo implies that something is artificial, and there is nothing artificial about this message.  

The lighting and set design play a major role in the performance and are perfectly sympathetic to Pantano’s lecture. He dances at certain points during the show, and when he does so, the lighting seems to dance right along with him. Additionally, when Pantano is at his most vulnerable, the lighting protects him, using shadow as a shield. At one point, he crawls into a cage, which is large enough for a medium-sized dog but too small for an adult man, to further display the fetish around Pup Play – yet, the cage is clearly also a metaphor for the cage of fear which surrounds him.

Pup Play: A Queer Pseudo-Lecture (Of Sorts) is not just a performance as part of a PhD dissertation; it is a call to activism and to take a stand against the bigotry which members of the LGBTQIA+ community face every day. It’s a production that is not for everyone, but is highly recommended if you are interested in an exploration of queer fetish subculture told brilliantly from the perspective of a queer activist.

Written by Noah Alfred Pantano

You can read more about Pup Play in our recent interview here.

Pup Play: A Queer Pseudo-Lecture (Of Sorts) plays at Barons Court Theatre until Saturday 16 August
Note the production contains graphic adult content.