tell me straight

King’s Head Theatre

Review 4 November 2026

Synopsis: tell me straight is a fast-paced, semi-autobiographical, coming-of-adulthood play that’s a glorious, witty, and provocative exploration of what it means to navigate and embrace our sexuality. Him’s long line of hookups have one thing in common; they’re all straight. Best friend Dani thinks he needs to fix up and finally find ‘a gay man who actually likes gay men!’ But straight guys are like buses… A 30-day detox is just what Him needs – no booze, no fast food and no men! Buuuuut will distractions in the form of wide-eyed Lee, fuck boy Ryan and oldest friend Matt prove to be derailing? Or will Him finally change his ways and see what is right in front of him?

My review: There is good acting and some sharp humour in Tell Me Straight, but I left less certain about what it wanted to say.

Much of the story centres on the main character’s sexual encounters and attraction to supposedly straight men who turn out to be bisexual. At times, the emphasis on how much sex he was having, or how easily he could find it, began to feel like boasting. I wanted more of a sense of what those encounters meant to him beyond the telling of another story.

The two actors perform well, with one taking the central role and the other playing the supporting characters. However, I occasionally found myself confused about who was who. That made it harder to follow the relationships and stay connected to the story.

There are funny moments. A line about using shower gel instead of lube was a particular highlight, drawing groans as well as laughter, a recognisable bit of sexual mishap that landed immediately.

It is good to see queer experiences given space on stage, and the performances give this production plenty of appeal. For me, though, the individual encounters never quite added up to a satisfying whole. Tell Me Straight has humour and capable performers, but I wanted a clearer sense of what lay beneath the anecdotes.

This is currently in a double bill of shows with Aggy, see Aggy review here.

Show	tell me straight
Dates	until 14 Nov 2026
Venue & Booking	King’s Head Theatre

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Disclosure: I was given a press ticket for this