On September 25, audiences poured into The Here-After to witness Stephen Brower in his one-man show, Palatable Gay Robot, in which he stars as Billie, a robot programmed by a futuristic tech company to be the ultimate performer - Gay but not too Queer for straight audiences. Full of nuance, humor, and insight into how LGBTQ+ performers are treated in the entertainment industry, the production was a smash hit with local audiences.
Brower, a comedian from New York, specifically chose Seattle as a stop on his tour due to the city's thriving LGBTQ+ entertainment scene, having debuted Palatable Gay Robot at the Edinburgh Fringe Comedy Festival in 2023. The attendees there loved it, though Brower credited that to the fact that the festival "is a particular and forgiving audience that's understanding of these weird, quirky, nuanced solo shows."
Back in the States, he took it on a run in New York, which had some stronger standards for theater. "New York is a very discerning crowd," Brower said. "There's so much theater here, and we wanted to explore what different audiences in different parts of the country would get from the show. It's been such a surprise to us - a nice surprise to us - to see the different subcultures of people who cling to the show, and we're excited to see what Seattle can add to that, because I love Seattle."
Timely topic
Brower started writing Palatable Gay Robot after he lost his job during the pandemic. "It made me feel like I needed to take control over something artistically in my life," he said. "As a Queer performer, I think all performers feel used to an extent by the business, and [try] to pigeonhole themselves into something that will make themselves more marketable. I wanted to explore that through a lens that felt fun, welcoming, funny, and lighthearted, sort of working through what I was dealing with and being able to do what I love to do most, which is perform."
The show explores the struggles of Queer performers set against the backdrop of a dystopian, robot-filled future. It feels especially timely as writers and actors continue to express concerns over competition with AI.
Given all this rumination, a lesser writer may struggle to find the balance between contemplation and humor, but Brower blends both by emphasizing the innocence of the play's only physical character.
"We've structured it so that this robot has a blind innocence to the world," Brower said. "He starts from a place of not having any emotional attachment to current societal issues. I can honestly get away with saying some pretty crazy things, because you can laugh at it. After all, it's a robot. We all have that blissful ignorance in us somewhere, and it's fun and childish to play with on stage."
Hopeful and contemplative
Brower, much like the production, is focused on the future. Though Palatable Gay Robot does, at times, depict a dark eventuality for the Queer entertainment industry, Brower is hopeful it is not an accurate depiction of where it's is going. "I think it's changing, and I think it's changing quickly," he said. "Each generation has their relationship to sexuality and the taboos around it. I remember when I came out of the closet, it was during a time in a part of the country where it wasn't necessarily disgusting or perverted to be Gay, but it also wasn't something that people talked about. There was still a layer of shame around it."
While he is hopeful about the future, Brower admits, it's going to take more than humor to set a course toward free expression and nuance for LGBTQ+ people in the entertainment industry. "The realist in me knows that as important as [humor] is to me and as much as I enjoy it and enjoy creating it, we also live in a world that is moving so quickly," he said. "What might be popular and funny and meaningful a week ago could be totally forgotten today. Humor moves us in a direction to get in touch with our humanity, and that's kind of how we can change the world with it. I don't think one single comedy show is going to change any person's politics."
Palatable Gay Robot is fun, funny, and contemplative, though the audience it reaches tends to already exist in an echo chamber. Fans won't be switching political parties or reading Judith Butler for the first time, but they may leave reflecting on how they consume Queer media and reconsider some of the biases they've unknowingly contributed to the zeitgeist.
"Something I hope people take away from the show is just looking at stereotypes differently," Brower said. "There are so many more stereotypes for specifically Gay men in show business than I think people even realize if you don't live in that world. I feel like I'm surrounded by it all the time. My friends and I understand it, and we have a shorthand for talking about it. To be able to take 75 minutes to watch something that is entertaining and can hold your hand through what that experience is like, I hope people walk away more joyful and open-minded."
Palatable Gay Robot wraps up its tour in Toronto, but fans can keep up with Brower wherever he goes by following his Instagram and TikTok, @stephernbrower. "I'm always writing, and I'm always online," he said.
Brower is now working on his next show, which should be out in December.
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