Playwright Glace Chase
Director Paige Rattray
Billie Brown Theatre
6th March-1st April 2021
Holy Guacamole!
Dr Gemma Regan
With a teaser of “one of the most eye-popping sex scenes in recent theatre history”, the eclectic Queensland Theatre audience was chomping at the bit on the opening night of Triple X. The title, reminiscent of the old X-rated film categories, was borne from the playwright Glace Chase’s usage of XXX as a placeholder for missing words when writing. She realised it was also a “killer title” and serves as a warning that it was to be sexually explicit featuring trans-gender sex scenes not seen by a live theatre audience.
Queensland Theatre is at the forefront of producing plays with a social commentary for under-represented people, encouraging them to tell their story using their own words. Glace Chase has transcribed her own heartfelt experiences verbatim taking on the unenviable task of introducing the Queensland audience to Transphobia, a much under-represented issue of the LGBTIQ+ community. It is a revolutionary play featuring what could be the first transgender love story in Australian theatre history.
After only two preview shows of Triple X at the Billie Brown Theatre in 2020, Covidius interruptus struck on March 17th ending the show. It left a disappointed and unfulfilled audience and writer wondering if the modern-take on a love story would ever resume. Fortunately, after a year and some actor changes with the support of the Queensland Theatre’s partners, Artistic Director, Lee Lewis and Director Paige Rattray, Glace Chase’s vision has finally been realised. Glace is an award-winning Australian trans-performer and comedienne who lives in New York and is currently under commission for Drag Country with the Sydney Theatre Company. Triple X originated from a life-story discussion between Paige and Glace at the New York gay bar, Monster several years ago. They had originally met at Griffin Theatre when Paige knew that they would again work together when the time was right. Fortunately, all the stars have aligned with Triple X’s return and as Lee Lewis commented on the opening night “when the right idea meets the right audience at the right time it can change the World!”
Scotty (Josh McConville), is an engaged Wall Street trader who falls in love with Dexie, a drag queen (Glace Chase) after watching her show despite considering himself straight. It is a love story filled with secrets and lies laced with homophobia, toxic masculinity and identity, highlighting the many issues associated with being transgender that the general audience may not have considered.
Triple X ticks a lot of boxes, with Scotty’s married lesbian sister Claire skillfully played by Contessa Treffone using Scotty’s handsome black best friend (Elijah Williams) as their sperm donor, both making their debut for Queensland Theatre. QT’s mainstay Christen O’Leary (Mouthpiece, Antigone) plays the neurotic wife-battered mother who blames herself for all of her children’s issues. Glace Chase takes centre stage in her first acting role as the vivacious and beautiful drag queen Dexie. She was confident, energetic and effervescent and comically commented each time she screwed up a line. Josh Mc Conville (Top End Wedding, Lone Wolf) also made his debut for Queensland Theatre as the arrogant misogynistic white male. He oozed superiority as he dominated his mother, sister and friend. Even the self-assured Dexie was cowed to his will when he demanded she kisses him first.
The play was initially confusing, as it flitted between a character-filled scene in the apartment on the night before Scotty’s wedding, to excerpts of his past experiences with Dexie. Scotty’s sister Claire’s rucksack was dumped at the front of the stage in each present scene to denote the time shift, but it took a few baffling scenes before it all made sense.
Renée Mulder’s set is Scotty’s two-tiered penthouse apartment allowing for an excruciatingly funny and embarrassing sex scene. The running theme throughout the play was the admonishment of Scotty’s mother when he offers her avocado oil to eat. The significance of the abhorrence of the innocuous oil only came to fruition after the heart-thumping explicit sex scene when it was used liberally as the lubricant with references to making guacamole!
The audience consistently responded to each character with groans, laughs, and even gasps of concern when a particularly amorous Scotty threw Dexie heavily onto the sofa and she ricocheted up, over and off crashing behind and out of sight! Professional to the end Glace bounced up and continued with her lines whilst ignoring the blossoming bruises.
Triple X is an honest and entertaining transgender love story. With Glace Chase frolicking in the limelight it manages to lighten the poignant social commentary with wit and aplomb.