Across several months of last year, right wing protestors gathered outside a pub in London's Honor Oak area to disrupt a monthly, hour-long children's event, Magic Storytelling, hosted by drag artist That Girl.
Masquerading their real agenda as a safeguarding issue, the protesters, who were from right wing conservative groups such as Turning Point (whose supporters apparently include Jacob Rees Mogg, Priti Patel and Nigel Farage), Blood & Honour and the English Defence League, spouted their hate and broke windows.
In response, the local community came together in counter-protest under the banner of South East London Love.
Whilst our tabloid media largely did what it does best—throw truth to the wind with slanted headlines—protest groups took to social media to misrepresent the storytelling events as child-corrupting burlesque shows, and behind-the-scenes, That Girl received hate mail and death threats.
That Girl's creator, George Lester, has now written a play based on this experience. The first act covers the formative events that led Lester to be first an author, then drag performer and then combining the two with a wider love of books by creating a fun, safe space where children who have been told they are different can hear age-appropriate stories by children's authors of love, tolerance and acceptance.
For the second act, Lester presents as That Girl, but not solely in performance mode. As the genuine and kindly guy he is, and with no anger or resentment, he dissects the fallacy of the protestors' argument. Without melodrama, he lays down the facts as he lived them: the fear, the threats, the bomb scare, the violence, the police response, the parents who in spite of it all brought children in need of Magic Storytelling's affirming message. The counter-demonstrators and wider community support that helped him hold it together.
Keeping Lester on track as he recounts events is the delightfully intrusive Intrudy (also Lester), a projected drag queen alter-ego, but a mouthy piece of work for all that. Where Lester's writing rambles, it would benefit from one of her sharp remarks to tighten it up, but their repartee is very neatly done and the video design by Luke Adamson is top-class.
Lester and That Girl between them sing (extremely well) a range of gay anthems and pop princess hits, breaking up the well-delivered narration, and That Girl also lip synchs songs and comedy routines with superlative skill. It makes for a fulfilling and entertaining evening; it's not every night you get a successful blend of play, songs, drag and storytelling all in one show.
It is right that, despite the ugliness of the events portrayed, That Girl vs The World ends on an uplifting note celebrating love and unity. Whilst it will inevitably have a special resonance for those who are the target of homophobic and anti-trans hostility, it is a call to everyone to stand together against hate of all kinds.