There is something deliciously self-indulgent about locking dozens of people in a room and playing them your Instagram stories.

But for Yoz Mensch, the rolling hills of the Scottish Highlands were more than just a green backdrop to retell their transgenerational road trip with their grandpa.

My Grandpa Doesn’t Follow Me on Instagram is a heartwarming tale of Mensch spending hours in the passenger seat as their 80-year-old grandfather drove them to the site Mensch’s grandma’s ashes were scattered.

The meta (pun-intended) production showed us competing sides of Mensch. One, the version filtered for their grandpa that seeped into what they filmed for an Instagram audience. The other, the current version, further along in their transition, reckoning with their past behaviour and the complexity of gender dynamics.

You might like

Comedy

Fringe Review: A Stan Is Born!

Comedy

Fringe review: Rob Carlton – Virgin in a Knife Fight

From the outset, the one-woman show is a masterclass in comedic voice acting, from the high-pitched highlands hotel receptionist to the deeper Australian bass of Mensch’s Pa.

The interspersing of videos from their travels was effective at pushing the narrative along and distinguishing past and present Mensch as characters.

It’s a tight production, with the hour-long runtime effectively reigning in any overindulgence and prevented audiences from the feeling of being trapped watching a friend’s holiday slideshow.

While past Mensch’s interactions with Pa give the show many laughs, it’s the current Mensch that brings the heart.

Though we see Mensch visibly overthinking everything from getting their own hotel room to the way they order a pint, this was not a show about lamenting or chastising your pre-coming-out self.

Refreshingly, Mensch’s current self – which we saw in fourth wall breaks throughout – could be solemn, but not bitter. Reflective, but not resentful. Hilarious, and not cynical.

This is not a show that will make you feel like a lesser person if you cannot scream “I’m here, I’m queer” from the top of a Scottish castle. It’s a show that will envelop you as you are and hold your hand through a Chappell Roan singalong.

My Grandpa Doesn’t Follow Me On Instagram: A Guide To Trans-generational Road-Tripping runs from February 19 – March 7 at The Breakout.