Review: Jordan Gray: Is It a Bird? ★★★★★

From her brain and her mouth, Jordan Gray: Is It a Bird is an incredibly witty and intelligent show that shines a light onto society’s double standards on trans rights. 

Review by Bailey Carvell

Jordan Gray | Soho Theatre | 16-18 February 2023 | From £21

Jordan Gray is a true trailblazer. She takes huge risks and they certainly are worth the effort – Is It a Bird? shows how comedy can make you both laugh and reflect. 

The combination of stand-up and musical comedy blends perfectly to create an incredibly joyous hour of laugh-out-loud entertainment for the audience. The set includes various comedic bits ranging from “Boobies to Batman”, with original songs mixed in. Essentially, Gray issues a comedic challenge to what many people would consider ‘normal’ ideas. 

The time devoted to pure stand-up surely is not wasted, with zinger after zinger keeping the audience cackling. All of Gray’s jokes show a finesse and deep understanding of timing and delivery. Additionally, the set illustrates a high level of both intellectual and artistic nuance – a focus on superheroes allows Gray to compare caped crusaders with her own identity as a trans woman; this was done brilliantly. 

Gray’s songs are all a joy to listen to and take the audience on a journey, this being possible due to some extremely clever writing decisions; this, combined with some jaw-dropping vocals, shows just how talented Gray is. 

The decisions made throughout the show are all the right ones, particularly towards the end with one big focal point of the performance – which may be known to some in advance -being both shocking but also incredibly powerful. Gray’s unshakable confidence really holds the whole thing together – that confidence truly shines when Gray has to deal with poor etiquette from a member of the audience. Displaying razor-sharp wit and control of the space whilst expertly handling this situation shows a true star at work. 

Jordan Gray: Is It a Bird? reminds us that no, she may not be a superhero, but she will save the day with laughter! 

Bailey Carvell

Aspiring reviewer, I enjoy more experimental and stylistically distinct forms of theatre.