Hasbian is a show featuring Beth's real teenage diaries.
Hasbian is a show featuring Beth's real teenage diaries.
Hasbian
(has-bee-un) noun: A former lesbian.
Beth Watson’s real teenage diary comes to life in the animated world of Hasbian: A queer coming-of-age comedy set to a soundtrack of y2k pop classics (S Club, B*Witched, Destiny’s Child) and indie angst anthems (Placebo, Weezer, Garbage)
How did Beth go from a childhood dreaming of The Wizard of Oz, to cringey Cruel Intentions-obsessed adolescence? From proudly identifying as a teenage lesbian, to discovering that boys are also appealing?
Using animated magazine cut-outs of iconic teen movie stars, an all-star 00’s fantasy cast steps in to “play” Beth’s friends (and crushes), who are re-imagined as the likes of Lindsay Lohan, Natasha Lyonne and Ashton Kutcher, Hasbian tells the true story of growing up queer in Brighton (the UK’s Gay Capital) under Section 28 (1988-2003 law prohibiting teaching “homosexuality as a pretended family relationship”).
Dripping in equal measures with heartfelt earnestness , sharp irony, and humour that bubbles up in the place between youthful confidence and pubescent self-doubt, Hasbian fills audiences with buzzy nostalgia, while exposing queerphobia in the most liberal of cities.
Reviews for Hasbian at Omnibus Theatre, June 2024
"Simultaneously relatable and educational - Watson strikes an expert balance between including the cringeworthy teenage experience we all remember, and creating a unique insight into growing up queer in the 90’s... While the tone of the piece is reflective, Hasbian feels very much like a story for our times"
★★★★★ - A Young(ish) Perspective
"Skillfully integrates both audio description and surtitles... It's a bit ‘Clarissa Explains It All’, if Clarissa was talking about having gay sex at sleepovers and seeing their Geography teacher in hot pants at Brighton Pride."
★★★★ - To Do List
"An incredibly funny, charismatic performer, who absolutely embraces the silliness of the piece, whilst bringing earnest truth throughout."
★★★★ - West End With Me
Credits for the latest production of Hasbian
Hasbian promo photos by Holly Revell