What a difference one haircut can make! It’s a universal truth known by every queer person, but never so brilliantly proven than in Shelf’s debut show, Hair.
Rachel WD and Ruby Clyde have been working on this hour for a long while, which goes some of the way to explaining why it’s so tightly presented, but most of the explanation lies in the pair’s collective charisma and how at ease they are with each other on stage.
Yes, Shelf is a musical double act, but most of the hour is taken up by stories of their school days, they are childhood friends, and Rachel and Ruby’s very differing experiences of queerness throughout their lives, now united by the fact that their short hair often has them being mistaken for young boys.
Rachel was raised by gay parents, and despite repeated efforts by other family members to convince her otherwise, is entirely confident in her own gayness – to the point of complete obliviousness that anyone would try to damage that confidence. Ruby, on the other hand, with her (previously) long hair, experienced everything femme gay women are up against. Combined, this information makes for a genuinely revealing scientific study into how idiotic we are as a society when it comes to gender.
When the songs come, they’re killer. The duo revel in their…let’s say, diverging musical aptitudes, and it’s a real joy to be a part of. This is a delicate format to navigate: a double act who mix stand-up and music. There’s the danger that there might be a lag between songs or that you might notice one of them standing around while the other talks. None of this with Shelf. It’s brilliantly structured and the pair bounce off each other with the kind of chemistry you can’t manufacture.
I’ve never seen a comedy show that manages to so concisely, precisely and entertainingly outline how weak the foundations of the gender binary are. It really may be all about hair.
★★★★
Shelf: Hair is at Pleasance Bunker 3 at 19:15 until 28th August. For tickets visit EdFringe.com.
