Kate Bornstein’s On Men, Women And The Rest Of Us was a cleverly crafted and heartfelt performance of a selection of spoken word pieces examining Kate’s experience as a transgender woman.

In a culture where everyone is so clearly defined as male or female, Bornstein staged the desperate and lonely life of trying to find acceptance as someone who is not man, not woman.

She invited you to watch her through the eyes of the people in the community she grew up in; her mother, the rabbi, some gossiping old ladies.

Through these different viewpoints Kate could truly demonstrate her strength and resilience as the audience took on different roles, all explained with compassion and light humour to punctuate the trauma of living a life somewhere between the genders.

Bornstein was a fantastic presence on stage, captivating the audience with grace and a vulnerability which could be unleashed at any moment.

Her writing had an ice cold clarity cutting through the informal and accessible tone which left the audience disarmed, a performance bolt of lightning to the gut, sending an electrical current to the brain.

A superb and highly recommended event.

Four stars