The Green Knight (But It’s Gay) tells the tale of Sir Gawain and The Green Knight with the subtext made text; the queer allusions of the Arthurian poem made overt. The show is billed as an intentionally silly one, and there is a lightness in creator and performer Niall Moorjani’s narration. There are genuine laughs to be found, for example in the delightfully silly Scottish, surreal characters introduced mid-performance, or in their gentle mocking of the nonsensical unwritten rules of heteronormativity.
But the quantity of self-aware quips and asides to the audience throughout the performance, at times even unpacking the jokes themselves, take us out of the world they aim to create. When the material is allowed to speak for itself, exploring what it means to exist outside the rigid confines of gender and sexuality, whether through humour or in genuinely moving moments, it shines brightest. Ultimately, reimagining the various characters and scenes in an Arthurian poem in a one hour show, acted largely through one performer (accompanied by a guitarist), with minimal staging was always going to be an ambitious undertaking. Despite a compelling premise and moments of charm and laughter, the performance feels slightly weighed down by the scope of its ambitions.
The Green Knight (But It’s Gay), Scottish Storytelling Centre, until 24 Aug, 8pm