A review of the sci-fi comedy podcast Gay Future, written by Connor Wright and Christina Friel.
Imagine the following: you are a straight, preteen boy on the brink of manhood. You also live in a world controlled by the deceitful gay agenda, policed by leather daddies, and governed by the megalomaniacal runner-up for season two of American Idol: Clay Aiken. In other words, the year is 2062 and everyone is gay.
Adapted from the original manuscript of Mike Pence’s recently uncovered, never-before-released young adult novel, Gay Future is a podcast to top (or bottom!) all others. With writers who have mastered the perfect balance of scripted and off-the-cuff storytelling, and an all-star cast of hilarious voice actors, the production of this absurd comedy could not have been handled better.
The distinctly modern hybrid of witty dialogue and surreal world-building is the perfect recipe for millennial allure. Connor Wright and Christina Friel’s use of familiar tropes in the most insane, hysterical, and radical of circumstances proves immensely entertaining.
Strangely enough, even by exaggerating so much of contemporary gay culture, by stretching its capabilities past the limits of reality, and by suffusing the entire performance with absurdist camp, the result remains comfortingly human.
A true highlight of the production are the minisodes released between episodes, in which the world is intricately developed through side-plots and continuous hilarity. Furthermore, when the fourth wall is broken and insights into the processes of recording, sound editing, folio, and music design are included, the entire cast’s passion and dedication is palpable. Altogether, if there is one podcast to laugh at, cry at, and generally indulge in for what I wish was far more than just a few hours, Gay Future is it.
Access Gay Future on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, Soundcloud, or the website https://www.gayfuturepodcast.com/
Review written by Ian Kirkland
(He/Him)