Queer Counsel
Warehouse Theatre, Croydon

David Bowden

'Fringe' theatre can throw up some oddities, even at the best of times. When politics- particularly representing 'minority' viewpoints - are thrown in, it is perhaps understandable that many theatre-goers are more tempted by the 'safe' revivals of, say, When Harry Met Sally or Twelfth Night. Fortunately Nick Bamford's intense drama of sexual identity, religious dogmatism, death and redemption sidefoots lazy criticism with passion, depth and a good deal of humour.

As the press release is keen to point out, the matter of homosexuality and the Church is very much to the fore at the moment, with the furore over gay bishops and marriage. Factor in the renewed religious zeal promoted by the recent release of The Passion of the Christ and the issue becomes primed with some explosive emotions. Queer Counsel deals with John - a family man who runs a counselling service aiming to 'cure' young men of their abominable desires - and his meeting with Gary, an angry thirtysomething gay man who despises this practice. Their lives become indelibly linked by John's young son Matthew and the role they played in his suicide.

Gary was the man who initiated Matthew into sexual congress, but who dismissed the smitten teen as just another of his (many) conquests. John, while a softly-spoken, caring man, could only point his God-fearing son towards the damning passages condemning same-sex relationships in the Bible in an attempt to smother his nascent desires. Between them they crushed the sensitive boy, with the resultant fall-out threatening to destroy both of their personal lives. It is only through John's wife Mary - torn between her conservative Christian values and grief for her lost children (her eldest has severed all family links following Matthew's death) - that these two stubborn fundamentalists can both confront their guilt and prejudices, and achieve salvation.

While this in itself may appear a rather intense and volatile theme for a two hour play, Bamford also layers on several pertinent sub-plots regarding gay promiscuity, low self-esteem and the gay scene's self-destructive insularity. Allowing for this, Queer Counsel at times risks being overwhelmed by the severity of its material. However, through the strong acting and a witty, well-written script FOD Productions just about pull it off. Harsh, simple judgements and answers are thankfully avoided, giving the several minor characters (John's young patient Daniel, the motherly and kindly bar-owner 'Aunty' Trevor and especially the superb Alison Belbin as Mary) ample room in which to breathe and develop. The play, which opens with Matthew's ethereal Christ-like suicide, ends with the stark memory of his death: but this time lessons have been learnt and, while the scars still remain, they carry with them a sense of catharsis and hope.

I have to admit my first thoughts while watching this play were slightly mixed. At times the humour perhaps seemed a little too knowing, while the audience was very distinctly non-Middle England. While 'issue' theatre can make positive, salient points it often runs the risks of preaching only to the converted: the so-called 'edgy' pieces satirising George W Bush (a man who is almost beyond parody) spring to mind. It was interesting to note then that, speaking to Bamford and Lawrence Saunders (who played 'Gary') that Queer Counsel had been equally warmly received in the less-metropolitan Hereford, to an audience of mostly white, middle-class Christians. Tonight's crowd boasted several Anglican vicars who were impressed by the play's Christian message.

Of course it is tempting to note that hardcore Christians in this country are now almost as persecuted a minority as homosexuals were. Who the play really needs to target is those in the middle: decent people who have let their religion lapse and count themselves as reasonably tolerant, but are unsure where to let their allegiances fall in increasingly uncertain times. Bamford's strength is that he is careful to focus on Christianity's core values - reconciliation, forgiveness, love for one's fellow man (or woman, or transsexual, or for that matter, cat) - while pulling no punches over the more negative aspects of the gay 'scene'. Gary, for example, cannot stand heterosexual couples in his local, while he struggles to remember the name of sexual partner who still occupies his bed - all the while demanding tolerance he is not prepared to give.

Queer Counsel is by no means a masterpiece - its middle section lags somewhat, and it at times relies slightly on stereotyping and easy dramatic devices (the elder son Luke seems to be there only to facilitate the conclusion) - but these can be forgiven. It is a thought-provoking, socially conscious work that snaffles the Zeitgeist admirably, and above all provides an enjoyable evening's entertainment. As Luke reminds his mother at the end, tolerance extends even to those who enjoy orgies of whipping, torture and mutilation. Anyone up for The Passion as well?

Till 9 May