Just as Hamlet grappled with the nature of existence, solo-based theatre artist and stand-up comic D’Lo isn’t afraid to examine some tough questions. His latest show, "To T or Not to T," is described as a comic trans journey, and he has a message for anyone coming along for the ride.
“If I’m going to take you on that high high and make you laugh with me,” he said, “you’ve got to go and do some deeper scuba diving with me on the other stuff, right?”
What You Need To Know
- “To T or Not to T,” a comic trans journey, follows solo artist D’Lo and his decision to start taking testosterone
- The piece originally premiered at the Los Angeles LGBT Center in 2019
- It is being presented by Center Theatre Group as part of Block Party 2022
- The show runs at the Kirk Douglas Theatre through July 10
And there is plenty of diving to do. The Sri Lankan transgender performer grew up in Lancaster, and the story follows him as he tries to make the decision to start taking testosterone.
We see D’Lo at various stages in his life — a young child on the playground finding his place in a game of boys against girls freeze tag, or a young man attempting to get his father to see him for who he is.
“I don’t want to call you by male pronouns,” he says in the play, adopting the accent of his "apa." Then with a step to the left and a switch to his own voice, tearfully pleads with his father to hold him up. “I am your son,” he says.
He workshopped the piece in New York in 2017 before having a world premiere at the Los Angeles LGBT Center where the show was slated to run for a few weeks. It was extended several times and ultimately ran for two and a half months. He and his longtime collaborator Adelina Anthony expected queer, trans artists of color to come see the show, but were surprised as the audience continued to expand.
“Parents of queer, nonbinary, trans people came to see the show,” D’Lo explained, “and they walked away, like, just really emotional because they could see from the perspective of somebody who is telling their story from when they are younger.”
“So many audiences that we didn’t expect did show up,” Anthony recalled, “and left with a deeper understanding of our queer and trans and community that they recommended others to it.”
Now, three years later, they have the opportunity to reach even more people. Every year, Center Theatre Group showcases some of the best work from Los Angeles theatres in their annual Block Party and this year they invited D’Lo to remount "To T or Not to T" at the Kirk Douglas Theatre — a pretty big deal for this SoCal kid.
“Since I was little, I had the Kirk Douglas Theatre on my bucket list,” he said, calling it “a place I always wanted to perform.”
The show is being presented by a mostly LGBTQ creative team, including Anthony, who has directed D’Lo for 16 years. She identifies as a two spirit Chicana lesbian and says the reality for many queer people of color is that they often have to make their own families outside of their blood relatives. She refers to D’Lo as her sibling, but says what she loves about this story is how he keeps returning to his father with humor but also with honesty.
“It’s a testament to D’Lo’s heart that he gives us a portrait of a father who is struggling,” Anthony explained. “You may not completely agree or understand apa, but D’Lo’s love for his father and his family gives you such a complex portrait of what it means to be in life for the long run.”
Despite the sometimes heavy themes, “To T or Not To T” is a comedy, and in that sense, a bit of a Trojan horse.
“Comedy is the orange juice that you crush the medicine in,” D’Lo said.
CDC data shows the number of transgender youth has nearly doubled in recent years. D’Lo, who contemplated suicide in his youth, hopes by telling his story, he can help make the journey for the next generation of gender diverse individuals a little smoother than his was.
In the show, his father questions his decision to be so vocal about his orientation, asking him why he can’t be a “quiet artist.”
“Apa, being unashamed of who I am, allows other people to be unashamed of who they are,” he tells him. “I mean, that’s how you change the world. By being brave together.”
“To T or Not To T” runs at the Kirk Douglas Theatrethrough July 10th.
