My Son's a Queer (But What Can You Do?) at the Apollo Theatre
Rob Madge brought their Olivier-nominated solo show back to the West End for three weeks, 16 September to 3 October 2026. It ran 65 minutes with no interval. What the show was, who made it and where it has played are below.
65 minutes, no intervalAges 12 and up
At the Apollo Theatre, 3 to 4 minutes' walk from Piccadilly Circus
This show has closed
This run at Apollo Theatre has finished.
Who's My Son's a Queer For?
- Anyone who wanted a West End show without giving up a whole West End evening. It was over in 65 minutes with no interval.
- People who knew Rob Madge already. They were a West End child actor, and this is the show they wrote about that childhood.
- Not for anyone who wanted a big cast and a full band. Rob Madge was the only person on stage for all 65 minutes.
About My Son's a Queer at the Apollo Theatre
The run was 16 September to 3 October 2026, and the producer called it the show's "one final hurrah".
Rob Madge wrote the show and performed it alone, with Luke Sheppard directing and music by Pippa Cleary. Where it has been before, and what it was nominated for, is under News and Reviews.
What's My Son's a Queer About?
A queer kid who wanted to put on shows, and the family who had to work out what to do about it. Rob Madge lived it, wrote it, and performed all of it themselves.
One performer, music by Pippa Cleary, 65 minutes, no interval.
Where to See My Son's a Queer Next
Nothing is announced after the Apollo run. Sign up and we will tell you first if Rob Madge brings it back.
FAQs
65 minutes, straight through, with no interval.
It was recommended for ages 12 and over.
Saturday 3 October 2026. It opened on Wednesday 16 September, so the whole run was three weeks.
It was nominated for Best Entertainment or Comedy Play at the 2023 Olivier Awards.
No tour or further dates have been announced. The producer billed the Apollo run as the show's "one final hurrah".
A West End performer who started as a child actor at nine, and the writer and sole performer of this show. They were 30 during this run.
Not exactly. It is a solo play, with music written for it by Pippa Cleary.
Where to Sit
For this show, a single performer with very little set, the centre of the Stalls was the place to be. For whatever plays the Apollo next, our Apollo Theatre guide goes level by level.
Seating plan
Dates & tickets
Getting to the Apollo Theatre
31 Shaftesbury Avenue, London W1D 7EZ. Piccadilly Circus is three to four minutes and Leicester Square about the same. Charing Cross mainline is eight to ten minutes on foot.
Buses 14 and 19 stop on Shaftesbury Avenue itself.
More on the building is in the Apollo Theatre guide.
Access at the Apollo Theatre
This run had no accessible performances: no BSL signed, captioned, audio described or relaxed dates were listed.
There is no customer lift at the Apollo, but the Stalls can be reached without stairs, by a platform stair lift at a separate entrance on Shaftesbury Avenue. Report to the main entrance and staff will take you round.
On foot it is one step up from the street into the foyer, then 22 steps down to the Stalls, 12 up to the Dress Circle, 41 up to the Grand Circle and 80 up to the Balcony.
Address
31 Shaftesbury Avenue, London W1D 7EZ
Nearest Tube
Piccadilly Circus (3-4 min walk)
The Cast
Rob Madge wrote the show and performed it. There was nobody else in it.
Madge began working professionally at nine and played Gavroche in Les Misérables, the Artful Dodger in Oliver! and Michael Banks in Mary Poppins in the West End, as well as appearing in The Sarah Jane Adventures. They were 30 during this run.
The Creative Team
- Written and performed by Rob Madge
- Director: Luke Sheppard
- Music: Pippa Cleary
- Set and Costume: Ryan Dawson Laight
- Lighting: Jai Morjaria
- Sound: Tingying Dong
- Video: George Reeve
- Orchestrator: Simon Nathan
My Son's a Queer: Awards and Run History
The show won Best Off-West End Production at the 2022 WhatsOnStage Awards and was nominated for Best Entertainment or Comedy Play at the 2023 Olivier Awards.
It began at the Turbine Theatre in 2021 and went on to play Edinburgh, the Garrick, the Ambassadors, a UK tour and, from 16 September to 3 October 2026, the Apollo. A Broadway transfer was announced for the Lyceum and cancelled nineteen days before previews; New York finally saw it at City Center in June 2025.
It has been reviewed before, because this is the same production. Read what the critics said.
