★★★
If gay saunas aren’t on your radar, then listen up, and listen up carefully. If you’re in the know, then Sauna Boy is probably exactly what you hoped and dreamed. In this steamy, slightly sweaty one-man performance Dan Ireland-Reeves details his own experience working in a gay sauna for a year. It’s a place for queer men, for the queer community, and primarily it’s a place for sex.
Ireland-Reeves isn’t mincing his words. If you aren’t ready for an 8:15pm show detailing how one best cleans up multiple bodily fluids whilst side-stepping copulation, then perhaps this isn’t the one for you. But whilst Sauna Boy is about sex, it’s also about so much more. Playing a whole host of clients and workers, Ireland-Reeves takes the audience through the characters who appear in his workplace—be that regularly or not. He effortlessly switches between “old school queers” and twinks, flitting between his boss (and the multiple personalities that come with him), exuberant drag queen visitor and everyone in between. It highlights the versatility in people gathering in gay saunas and shows how wide-reaching the community can be.
80s pop tunes fade in and out to a multitude of flashing LED lights onstage. An intimate atmosphere is created at The Space @ Surgeon’s Hall as Ireland-Reeves weaves a narrative between the everyday maintenance of a sauna and its more explicit activities. He is charming and flirty as he brings to life the running of the gay sauna in all its ups and downs.
The pacing ebbs and flows throughout the performance, with a particularly steady start and what feels like a slightly rushed ending. As the story rises to a crescendo, the plot somewhat dwindles and becomes a little harder to follow given the plethora of characters to be taking stock of. Having said that, a particular charm of Ireland-Reeves’ performance lies in the smaller, somewhat irrelevant, detailing of the characters. It adds more dimension to a performance that potentially could have had something a little extra.
Sauna Boy is quick-witted and dynamic, with Ireland-Reeves switching from gay sauna FAQs to a day in the life of a worker there. These interjections give the performance shape even if using a microphone suddenly can leave the audio a little mismatched when returning to an inside voice. Occasionally, the script feels underdeveloped, but with the rapid scene changes, the plot is maintained and does not take away too much from the overall show.
Sultry and confident, Ireland-Reeves fills the space at Surgeon’s Hall. Helped along by pop anthems, Sauna Boy is an entertaining watch with more than a little heart. It is charismatic, foul-mouthed, and it feels like this is only the beginning for Ireland-Reeves.
Sauna Boy was performed at The Space @ Surgeons Hall from 1-16 August as part of Edinburgh Fringe.
Words by Hannah Goldswain
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