“The stories of Dylan’s hopes and Dylan’s demons told from an ultra kitsch Barbie Dreamhouse.”

Editorial Rating: 4 Stars (Nae Bad)

So much has been said about Dylan Mulvaney, positive and less positive. Now it’s Dylan’s turn to speak. The TikTok sensation who triggered the great Bud Light boycott of 2023 has one or two stories to tell and… here’s the not-at-all surprising bit… it turns out Dylan Mulvaney is a fantastic storyteller, a gifted raconteur, with a sharp eye for crowd-pleasing, as well as a firm grasp on staging. Most importantly, this is a pacy show that rarely drags.

These are the stories of Dylan’s hopes and Dylan’s demons told from an ultra kitsch Barbie Dreamhouse. They are told with candour, with charm and with grace. There is ever so much auld-fashioned politeness blended right through Dylan’s onstage demeanour. It’s the velvet glove beneath which is that steel fist which has single-handedly done so much to demolish entrenched views of identity. Armoured in a constantly shifting wardrobe of pretty little numbers and Molotov Cocktaildress here, unfiltered is the voice that is challenging the world to build back better in the words of the President whom Dylan interviewed at the White White House.

Mulvaney has a creditable list of musical theatre acting credits which are evident in this lively, entertaining, heart-tugging storytelling cabaret. There are plenty of highlights and highnotes, but we are yet to see this being confidently and unfailingly struck each time. Mulvaney is yet to relax into the starring role and perhaps this is a reflection of a deeper personal disquietude and uncertain hesitency.

Although human themes and human values are central to this show, it is also the unfolding story of Dylan’s relationship with God (alongside a mother who never seems to quite understand). It is, unsurprisingly, a complex relationship with ongoing troubles the unfolding of which will say much about the Catholic (big C) and catholic (small c) church in the 21st century.

Here’s a show that is as much a cultural phenomenon as it is a sparkly spectacle. You need to have gone so you can say you have been there. Get your best coats on and go see this!

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