This year I wanted to start my Fringe marathon with an auto-biographical show. 

As an antidote to the spooky ghost of social disconnection. As a celebration of the fact that listening to personal experiences is probably the only real way for us humans to expand our opinions… and, the broader the creative expression is, the better to paint a multi-faceted picture.

So when I picked Bi-Curious George: Snail Trail, I knew I was in for a treat.

A creative mix: first-hand experience, nature documentary, acting, singing.

Bi-Curious George is certainly not afraid of playing with creative formats to add layers to his creation. He fully took advantage of the fact that solo shows are uniquely free-form, where imagination is guided, and minimal props are required (although a good costume is always welcome).

For someone that doesn’t feel too comfortable committing permanently to one defined gender, not sticking to a single medium felt funnily appropriate.

So, we got to see the perspective of George as a human: his observations about the metamorphic state of gender transition, with doubts and omni-directional confusion.

But if something feels confusing, it doesn’t mean that’s unnatural or not meant to be. Nature is in fact anything but linear and binary…it can offer charming metaphors so we can look at concepts again, free from expectations that come from social constructs.

For the joy of nature documentaries fans, George found a resonance in the image of the underrated hero of strawberry gardens, the humble snail – complete with shell and slime – and we got to see his adventure in snail form, though awkward snail monologue and acting scenes, spaced out by hilarious interpretations of classics songs with lyrics adapted to snail aesthetics.

Fascinating features of snails

Of course, it is always fun to hear about the intricacies of non-binary goopy snail courtship and sexual preferences, but it’s the combination of softness and strength that we could find most inspirational.

Trying to articulate how it feels to go though transition must be an awkward endeavour at best (and awkwardness was definitely one of the themes), but this show confidently offered some friendly images that seem helpful to understand certain aspects of being trans.

I left the show with a renewed appreciation for humans always in evolution, and obviously also for snails.

I also left wondering, if I had to tell my story from animal form, what animal would I pick?