People have threatened to shoot Jordan Gray at her shows – but she’s as brazen as ever ...Middle East

Jordan Gray has had quite the three years. The highs have been lofty: a critically acclaimed Edinburgh Fringe run and Perrier nomination, a Bafta. But the lows have been catastrophic: transphobic hate, 1,500 Ofcom complaints, death threats.

Ironically, both were caused by the same thing. In the autumn of 2022, Gray appeared on Channel 4’s Friday Night Live, where she performed the closing number from her Fringe show, Is It a Bird? the climax of which saw Gray stripping fully naked.

Now, the musical comedian is back with what she openly acknowledges as her “difficult second show”, Is That A C*ck In Your Pocket Or Are You Just Here To Kill Me? The title alone spells out the conflict within Gray. How does she stay true to her brazen comedy style, packed tightly with penis jokes, and also acknowledge the darkness she’s had to face?

The answer, it turns out, is by tapping into her more emotional side. Make no mistake; Gray’s lurching, long-limbed energy remains unchanged, and the visual gags still come fast. But underneath lies a far more sombre subject. Gray isn’t just performing knowing that people have threatened to shoot her at her shows (an action she playfully refers to as “doing a murder with a gun” throughout the show), but at a time when her own rights as a trans woman are specifically under attack following the UK Supreme Court ruling last month.

Personally, I find the narrative that comedians need to go through trauma to become truly funny tiresome. And yet it would be a lie to say that the vulnerability Gray is now showing on stage – not really seen since her The Voice days – doesn’t make Is That A C*ck In Your Pocket... feel more elevated.

Make no mistake – Gray is still able to get gags out when she talks about the plights of herself and her community. “We’re depressed, we’re anxious, we’re busting for a piss!” she riffs of the recent bathroom bans. Yet there are moments of stillness in this show that her last one lacked, where the audience is able to truly sit in and appreciate both Gray’s chameleon musical abilities and her quick comedic wit.

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Light-hearted songs are scattered throughout, yet it’s the two original numbers that bookend the show that are highlights. A well-crafted mix of funny and emotional, the latter of the two could have been plucked out of a Bo Burnham special, with Gray warbling: “My life’s  been hard going from Mr to Miss/ I can’t believe I gave up my pockets for this.”

The  show does lag slightly in the middle, but Gray pulls it back with a visual callback so silly and unexpected I could have stood up and applauded for it alone. 

Near the end of the show, Gray recalls an audience member coming up to her and praising her for not giving a f**k. If I’m honest, that’s an assessment I’d also previously make of Gray based on her on-stage persona. But  what’s clear in Is That A C*ck In Your Pocket…, is that Gray really does give a f**k – I mean, how could she not? Caring is a good thing for Gray as a performer.

This  show might not have the shock value of her last one, but it shows a more mature side to Gray. To quote the comic herself, she’s not just a “one-d**k pony”, and this show happily proves it.

To 31 May, Soho Theatre, London (sohotheatre.com), at Edinburgh Fringe 30 July to 24 August (assemblyfestival.com)

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