Remember In like primary/high school where someone would shout “oops you’ve dropped your gay card” and then whoever looked to see if they had dropped anything would then be ridiculed for looking for this imaginary card as if being gay was some sort of joke. Looking back as an adult, this “gay card” thing makes no sense like as if someone would carry around a card identifying them as a member of the lgbt+ community and be so flippant to drop it in public! This was the base idea for the new musical titled “gay card” which revolved around the imaginary idea of being gay as a sort of exclusive club that is marked by owning the said card. Drawing on this niche experience to be the entire centre point of a musical was instantly alluring as it brought a strange sense of nostalgia before I have even started listening to any of the songs! This is a show that is accessible to the masses as it contains many experiences and concepts that people are familiar with. From this “gay card” prank already discussed, there is also the exploration of reimagining who you are when you attend a new school/college/university which I know and have experienced many people that do this. Logan is the main character in this show and the story revolves around him living his best life in university but it is only after his “gay card” is revoked for not being awesome enough (which is a controversial claim which we will discuss later) and his pursuit of a renewal causes him to lose many friends and relationships! On top of this, the show is framed as a retrospective YouTube vlog which the younger generation will be able to relate to!
The majority of the songs in the newly released cast recording of “Gay Card” contain a constant sense of high energy. The prologue is fitted as the introduction of an almost youtube video which helps to introduce characters and give the audience some ideas of the story. The song “starting now” explores some commonly held beliefs about people in the LGBT+ community especially the gays. This is a song that discusses someone stereotypes of gay people but also addresses things that many gay people hear daily such as “I think this is just an attention thing” and “being gay is my thing” which is said by a fellow LBGT+ friend. The exploration of gay stereotypes does at first appear as a promotion of only one type of gay person which is very problematic but the story develops to represent many different tribes with the lgbt+ community all of which are different to one another. This is particularly explored in “follow me” which is a musical whistle-stop tour of the scope of personalities with the gay community and to have these songs one after each other promotes a sense of inclusion. I believe that many people will be able to relate these scenes to their own personal experiences which can only help other lgbt+ youth who listening to the incredible soundtrack!
My favourite track from the cast recording has to be “fake id/look at me” as it just everything I love about musical theatre. The song starts with a soulful almost Broadway-esque performer who possesses a wonderfully powerful voice but then it transitions musically to a more recognisable gay anthem sounding melody. I hope this song is staged initially with the performer in a spotlight but reveals to a massive party with high energy choreography and lighting etc. This song also explores and portrays the experience of gay bars by referencing the group of “straight” boys, the importance of dancing and the occasional sex-crazed people you will encounter! The writers of this song had done extensive research and were able to portray an accurate representation of a night at a gay bar which may in turn increase the number of people who frequent similar bars! “As I go” completed the circular nature of the YouTube video as it serves an almost outro of Logan’s life. The song discusses the fakery of social media (which is similar we all need to become more familiar with) but also invites people to relate to the story and broadcast their own. Due to the relatability of the story, many people will have had similar experiences and so being encouraged to share their stories is fantastic!
Overall, this was super fun and relatable musical that had accurately captures many of the experience modern-day LGBT+ people face. The songs are mostly high energy with amazing vocals through with one song standing out to me due to the contrast of musical styles it utilises! I would rate this show 5 out of 5 stars!
Rhysreviews 