Run to See Dylan Mulvaney's 'The Least Problematic Woman in the World'

Mulvaney's semi-autobiographical work has been in production at the Lucille Lortel Theatre since September 27, with a limited run through October 19. Directed by Tim Jackson, the solo show tracks her life through Catholic school, TikTok fame, and the viral controversy around "Beergate."

Other members of the creative team include scenic designer Tom Rogers, costume designer Enver Chakartash, lighting designer Cha See, sound designer Justin Stasiw, hair and wig designer Carole Hancock, and prop designer Andrew Diaz. The video designer is Caite Hevner, with orchestrations and arrangements are by Dan Rudin and Will Stuart, with Rudin also serving as executive music producer and E Sara Barnes as production stage manager.

Critics have buzzed about how fun the show is at its core, with Thom Geier at Culture Sauce writing: "It’s a tour de force performance, full of personality, spunk, and playfulness that dramatize the nuances of her TikTok-documented pandemic-era transition." New York Stage Review likewise says it "puts a clever twist on the perennial coming-of-age/coming-out story," while New York Times critic Tim Teeman

Notably, Mulvaney also grapples with the reaction from fellow trans people to her position as one of the most instantly recognizable women under the umbrella, especially in the aftermath of "Beergate." I'd say she's made Laverne Cox proud, after that side eye seen around the world. (A side eye they are both totally in on the joke about, to be clear.)

In an earlier conversation with Elle this year, Mulvaney said of writing her book Paper Doll" "I think my hope is that it can be a bit of trans joy amongst the darkness. I do believe that—in finding success, by putting this book out—that is direct [proof] that what these conservative extremists are saying about us isn’t true." She added that she was "nervous to even say this, but I haven’t been this happy in a really long time...This was part of my therapy, sharing this, and now it’s about to be with a lot of other people."

Her gift is in the autobiographical, in effusively being herself, with all its cringe complexities. I'd say the same sentiment probably holds in The Least Problematic Woman in the World, which delightfully pokes fun at all the things Mulvaney and her critics have to say about the woman in angel wings onstage, a smile still on her face.

Images courtesy of Andy Henderson