Review: Pup Play – Alma Tavern Theatre
PUP PLAY: A Queer Pseudo-Lecture (of sorts) is one of the most important stories told on the Bristol stage this year
Bristol is considered one of the most left-leaning and liberal cities in the country and yet, it is not immune to homophobia, transphobia nor other prejudice and violence experienced by different communities within the LGBTQ+ spectrum – as well as intersectionality.
The city has a massive Pride celebration/protest every year. The streets are crammed with thousands of the LGBTQ+ community and their allies during the parade. Following this there is a major festival up on the Downs.
Bigots on news social media pages will endlessly bleat in comments throughout the entire day asking why they don’t have a straight pride day? Because every day is heteronormative day that’s why.
A 16-year-old member of my family was called a fag on the street yesterday. Completely at random and without wearing anything more ostentatious than jeans and jumper. Not long ago, they were called a fag in Broadmead for having the audacity to wear a shirt with David Bowie on it. And that’s even before we get to the toilet comments…
The word fag and discussion around it is covered during Pup Play. It is an extremely relevant show for right now. Its many content warnings and imagery probably belie what a complex and finely crafted piece of theatre it is.
At the start, Professor Handler David says the show is one of extreme honesty. There is the honesty of the shock, kink, imagery, raging punk songs, wonderfully crude graphics and very graphic depictions of sex. But the real honesty is in its extreme vulnerability right at its very heart. It’s performed beautifully. It’s extremely powerful and very moving.
The show is introduced as a queer pseudo-lecture on the kink of pup play. It starts right at the basics – what it is and the concepts around it. There’s some quick stats. An explanation of the difference between furries and pups. Then there’s the importance of getting into the headspace of being a pup.
The performance from there shifts quickly between rich layers of storytelling. We have the humour of the hook-ups within the context of pup play. Sometimes this yields darker moments exploring self worth. Pup Play cuts between introspection, music and narrative. It ends with a powerful battle cry to be who you are.
There are a great many content warnings for the show which makes it sound utterly outrageous. Its creator Dr.Noah Alfred Pantano has even been warned in some parts of the UK not to flyer outside of theatres for his own safety. But, when you get down to the contents of the show itself, it’s not as provocative as it may appear.
Is it safe to wear LGBTQ+ signifiers? Or is there a space between being safe and being who you are? Or is hiding that facet of yourself no better than death? Is it OK for partners to police what you are wearing for your own safety? Or is it just another element of a potentially controlling relationship?
When it comes to Pup Play the stakes seem higher than rainbow accessories. The rumblings about adults wearing pup play gear really rears up when it comes to Pride. “Think of the children” is one ‘moral panic’. Pride is now a “family affair” is another. But as Professor Handler David says, Pride is a protest.
A recent Facebook post from a Bristol resident went viral within the city this week after someone had seen a young person at a sports centre wearing what they described as being either therian or furry wear. The comments in response were alarming, with many advocating a violent approach.
The potential for violence and harm on the street is very real. But Professor Handler David shows the internalised harm to the self by not being who you are is also very real.
Are we all becoming responsible for the sanitising of events such as Pride by self-policing or partner-policing without even realising? What is so controversial about people in a Neoprene pup hood? Nothing really, but there seems to be significant barriers for the pup play community that need breaking down.
At Bristol Pride, communities such as the Pups, Bears and Kink were mainly at the back of the very long procession. Right behind the businesses, the pink washers, the politicians, the families, the anarchists, the different blocs. But Pride is for families right?
The idea of sanitisation and the semiotics of pup play are explored quite rigorously by a Sesame Street styled Hetronormative Hand Puppet. What initially seems a fun and quirky segment is actually highlighting the beginnings of that running dialogue of negative speech that lives in your head. The downward spiral of thought potentially leading too many down the route of self-harm, self hatred and taking their lives.
Right back at the start the show clearly sets out that the auditorium is a very safe space for audience members. Here they are allowed to be who they are.
In Bristol, in this safe environment Pup Play lands hard, finding its audience. The final moments of the performance are filled with howling and barking from the dark. And it is a beautiful thing.
Pup Play is one of the most important stories that has been on the Bristol stage this year. The show has commonality with issues faced by all members of the LGBTQ+ community making it a very relevant watch for an audience broader than pups and handlers.
It’s graphic, brutally honest and a very beautiful piece of theatre.
Pup Play is on at the Alma Tavern Theatre again on Thursday 05 November 2026
For more information or to book, visit: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/almatheatrecompany/2360628
New show by the same theatremaker – (A Play in a) DARK ROOM by Dr. Pants – will be at the Alma Tavern Theatre on Wednesday 04 November 2026
For more information or to book, visit: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/almatheatrecompany/2360656
Follow Pants Off Productions on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pantsoffproductions/
Follow the Alma Tavern Theatre on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/almataverntheatre
Cast and Creatives
Writer, Director and Performer – Dr Noah Alfred Pantano
Composer (Throw Me A Bone/Down On All 4’s) – Jacob Sullivan
Composer (Homer The Homonormative Puppet Theme) – Alanxtra
Composer (Various Background Tracks) – Tungsten Lungs
Cinematographer/Editor of Trailer/Teaser – Adam Kirk
Cinematographer – Jamie Warne
Featured Image: Theatre Group GUMBO – Orlando Fringe
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