FRINGE 2016: My Life as a Gay Bum – 2K

By Anthony Nguyen

Set in the darkest of rooms illuminated only by the faint light of a single lamp, Peter Baecker stands in the middle of the small stage for his 2016 Adelaide Fringe one-man show titled My Life as a Gay Bum.

Written, produced and performed by Baecker under the alias ‘nick42berlin’, the autobiographical show tells of his adventures and misadventures as a sexual tourist in the gay social nightlife. From the notorious dark rooms, gay saunas, cruising for hook-ups and dealing with open relationships, Baecker does not shy away from the crude details from the highs and lows of his experiences. It provided an interesting insight into the large sexual infrastructure that occupies the gay community around the world today.

Contrasting to the typical storyline format, the show is set as a collection of random stories told one after another. However, Baecker constantly had to check back on his notes, moving back and forth between the room’s single light source, which highlighted the disorganisation of the performance. Additionally, Baecker’s delivery, though strong, lacked some eloquence as there were sudden pauses between sentences which quickly lost the flow and build-up of the narrative.

Interestingly, the setting of the room replicated a dark room, and so would provide an insightful night if you can spend 45 mins in a slightly humid room. Performed with clear R rated material spoken with no censor, My Life of a Gay Bum continues its run most nights until March 1^st at Tuxedo Cat located on Hyde Street.

Kryztoff Rating: 2K