Words: George Young
Image: Aly Wight

4 stars

The incomparable Johnny McKnight returns to the stage, albeit as part of the Fringe for the first time, with She’s Behind You, a solo tour-de-force that is part lecture, part panto, part self-discovery journey. It is a wonder-course in pantomime and theatre, alive with playful charm. “She’s Behind You” we shout. How else would a Dame of this magnitude choose to enter the Traverse 1.

Clad in gingham and sparkling red glitter shoes – flats, of course – is Dorothy Blawna-Gale. Ready to entertain with the observant, hilarious, panto jokes and song. She starts off acknowledging the out-of-season Dame’s presence at the Edinburgh Festival, though at times the pace gallops a little too fast. Some lyrical gags are lost in the rush, and a touch more space could allow the audience to enjoy the joke.

McKnight charts his personal and professional journey through pantomime. There is no trace of self-congratulation in the telling. Instead, he offers a generous, sharply observed reflection on a form that made him, taught him, and ultimately became the “mask where he could be seen.”

The storytelling is captivating throughout. He moves effortlessly from gag to revelation. The lighting, by Grant Anderson, is exquisite, moving between soft intimacy and sharp theatricality with precision. But what elevates this piece is how bracingly honest the reflections are; warts and all. McKnight acknowledges past decisions with thought, tells us to ‘Punch Up’ jokes not down and how queerness does absolutely belong in panto.

In the final moments, McKnight invites whoever the next panto-Dame-torch-bearer is to keep pantomime alive. While the original roots of a lecture theatre talk remain, this time the education sparkles brighter. She’s Behind You is funny, fierce, and inspiring.

She’s Behind You
Traverse 1, The Traverse Theatre
8th-24th August
Various times