Johnny McKnight is here from the depths of Pantoland, making a decidedly unseasonal entrance from – where else? – behind us, to undoubtedly confuse the hell out of any international theatregoers in attendance and take audiences from the UK back to their childhood, or perhaps more recent Christmas trips to the theatre with the kids.
Pantomime is a particularly British tradition, and in the John Tiffany-directed She’s Behind You – originally presented as a Cameron Lecture at the University of Glasgow in 2024, then as a one-off performance at Glasgow’s famed panto hub the Pavilion earlier this year – star Scottish panto writer and performer McKnight offers part celebration, part dissection and part personal journey through the artform.
Appearing in costume as his own dame character Dorothy Blawna-Gale, this lets him switch between being himself when he needs to make a serious point and being Dorothy when he’s going for one of the many laughs to be found here. To, for example, hilariously give a lapdance to a man in the third row while educating us all about consent during audience interaction.
We learn a lot, not least from McKnight’s own experiences, as he illustrates how the traditional can be reborn with modern thinking, while the medium helped him explore his own sexuality in the character of the anarchic dame. Through laughter or empathy, it’ll bring a tear to your eye.
She’s Behind You, Traverse Theatre, until 24 Aug (not 11, 18), 9.30pm (7-9 Aug), 9.45pm (10-24 Aug)