Review: The BBC’s First Homosexual (The Cinema Museum)

Review by Abigail Bowden

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The BBC’s First Homosexual is a well-crafted, intimate 3 actor play about the first radio documentary made about gay men by the BBC. The original 1954 documentary ‘Homosexuality: The Condition, The Cult and The Crime’ never aired, but was eventually reedited and broadcast in 1957 as ‘The Homosexual Condition.’ Presented as a journalist’s inquiry, the documentary interviewed a series of ‘experts,’ who spout a series of offensive and outdated opinions about homosexuality. The original recording has been lost, leaving playwright Stephen M Hornsby to reconstruct the work from its transcript alone.

Rather than staging the transcript verbatim, Hornsby elevates the source material by interweaving two distinct yet complementary narratives. The first storyline traces the creation of the radio documentary, with historical adviser Marcus Collins unearthing the ideological tensions and internal struggle within the BBC during its development. Moments in the play where they directly quote the transcript are particularly impactful, showing the sobering reality of the contemporary attitudes to homosexuality that were legitimised through the media. 

Running alongside this historical narrative is a storyline centred on the fictional character Tom, a young man working in a tailoring shop in Manchester. Tom grounded the play within the lived experiences of gay men with an immediately likeable character that the audience can root for. Through his series of monologues, he takes the audience with him as he discovers and experiments with his sexuality, acting as a window into the experience of being gay in a time period where homosexuality and engaging, as the audience gets a robust understanding of the historical and political landscape within Britain, but also the emotional and psychological reality of being a gay man in the 1950s.  

An obvious highlight of the well-written production is the performance of the cast. Mitchell Wilson delivered an excellent performance as Tom, effortlessly creating a likeable character with natural affability and humour, whilst also hitting the emotional notes of the play very well. Andrew Pollard and Max Lohan demonstrate incredible versatility through multirolling numerous characters, playing BBC producers as well as characters within Tom’s monologues. Both Pollard and Lohan are able to deliver the more humorous characters, with hilarious line deliveries, but also play the more serious roles with great sensitivity and care. Connecting these excellent individual performances is a really strong dynamic between the three, which sustains the rhythm of the production and also creates some really lovely moments of heartfelt intimacy. 

Elevating these performances is the slick and engaging direction by Oliver Hurst, who cleverly navigated the interwoven storylines and multirolling characters with confidence and consideration. Moments of intimacy were directed with delicacy, creating many sensitive moments. The writing and direction felt very cohesive, resulting in a play that felt very well-paced and fresh, expertly balancing emotional moments and more light-hearted scenes. This careful consideration sustains a strong sense of engagement from the audience throughout, creating an engrossed atmosphere and often provoking strong audience reactions. 

What is really special about the script and direction of the piece is the various humour that they find. I think that bringing light and a sense of character into this production was so important in order to show the humour, vitality and humanity of the historic LGBTQ+ community, which can so often get lost when dealing with the difficulties and struggles they faced. After each performance, they have a Community Forum chaired by an LGBTQ+ activist to discuss conversation therapy, which provides an important, relevant addition that underlines the enduringly important message of the play.

The production elements play a key role in elevating the powerful performance. Within the intimate performance space in the Cinema Museum, a fascinating venue filled with cinematic history, the set is simple but effective, with wooden tables and chairs establishing a flexible, universal environment that can accommodate the play’s dual narratives. Expert lighting design by Matthew Hodgkiss and sound design by Patch Middleton transform the set, easily conveying the differing storylines and settings. Hodgkiss’s lighting design is of particular note, altering and elevating the mood to complement the strength of the cast’s performances. Furthermore, the costumes, supervised by Rebecca Coleman, acted as excellent period attire and were easily layered to transform Pollard and Lohan into the flock of characters needed. 

Ultimately, this powerful, slick, and well-performed piece excels at creating an incredibly heartfelt and important story that showcases the unknown British queer. The play stands out by highlighting the intimate, individual realities of gay men navigating a society structured by criminalisation and stigma, forcing the audience to confront the emotional and psychological impact of such repression. 

The BBC’s First Homosexual plays at The Cinema Museum until 14th February. Tickets from https://cinemamuseum.org.uk/schedule/category/events/