Hannah Bardell MP reviews Kit Sinclair’s hilarious and poignant new show
BY HANNAH BARDELL MP
Coming out in your 30s is a unique experience. I should know, I was 32 when I came out. The grief of the time you’ve lost and the love you’ve missed, the seemingly insurmountable challenge of working out who you really are and having (or trying) all the experiences many of your peers had in their teens and 20s.
All the while it seems like so many of your friends are so far on with their lives, getting married and having kids, and you’re only just restarting.
Since I came out these are things I know I’ve struggled with and feelings I’ve returned to time and again. All of these were so expertly performed in an unconventional and captivating way by Kit Sinclair with the technical and creative support of her fiancé Becca in their show 30 And Out.
If you haven’t seen it and you get the chance you must. Kit delivers a full-body performance with strong Suzi Ruffell vibes that take you on the journey of her coming out. Quite literally a fruity experience with some hilarious sketches involving oranges, harnesses and of course, Doc Martens. She weaves a narrative of such visceral passion, emotion and deep belly laugh humour it’s hard not to get completely captivated. Her performance was set against the real and often very painful experiences and words of lesbians, trans and queer women, which blended Kit’s own personal experiences with the present moment and the very real threats our trans and non-binary siblings face.
To take something so personal and bring it to the stage with such confidence, insight and humour is a big risk, but Kit leaves it all out there. The result was, for me, something that forced a deeply personal reaction, laughter… and a lot of tears.
A standing ovation was only fitting, just like a TV series would be to honour this brilliant woman and her work. This needs as wide an audience as possible.
Most poignant amongst the vignettes of Kit’s experience was the moment when someone asks how old she is in a London Lesbian club – and she responds, “30.”
The response comes, “Most folk your age don’t bother.”
That hit me like a ton of bricks. No matter how old you are it’s always worth it. Kit’s performance and the show have created a beautiful and brilliant reminder of the joy and pain our community endures. It creates and holds space for you and yes, for those of us who waited or were held back but did not bother coming out. My goodness, we’re bloody glad we did!
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