The Burton Taylor Studio was transformed into a small but buzzing powerhouse for this one-off performance of Bullish, a show about transmasculine identities that plays with myth, masculinity and expression. Starring four actors as Asterion, the minotaur of Greek myth - and also a young trans man negotiating the early steps of transition - the show opens with pounding punk music and the bull-masked actors dancing before unmasking and revealing their collective story.

Bullish delves into what it means to be a man, and to be masculine, both in modern society, and in story and archetype. Milk Presents, the production team behind the play, discuss hair and muscles, aggression and sexiness, prejudice and gender stereotyping, and family relationships during transition. The action slips between a contemporary setting and a dreamlike, mythical framework, with each of the four Asterion actors taking on other roles that straddle fantasy and reality. Phobos, the personification of fear, becomes a gatekeeping administrator at a gender clinic; Daedelus is a brusque handyman who crafts a 'boyskin' for our minotaur hero.

The energy of the actors' performances was boundless; Asterion's lines were delivered seamlessly by the actors, a monologue passed effortlessly between four people. Bullish is ambitious, creative, and very funny; social rules regarding masculine posturing are represented with tongue firmly in cheek, particularly when toxic alpha male Theseus finally makes his appearance. The show isn't afraid of exploring the dark impact of prejudice - physical assault, panic attacks, estrangement from loved ones - but the tone is ultimately playful and joyful, building towards a triumphant conclusion.

The negative aspects of the play that I noted were very minor, and limited to a few technical points. During the songs, the music occasionally overwhelmed the words, so that the lyrics were indistinct. The use of lighting to represent stars (an important motif throughout the story, as Asterion means 'starry one') wasn't apparent to me until the final act. But as I said, these are small criticisms of what was, overall, an excellently executed short play. Bullish is continuing its tour until December, so if you get a chance, do go along and explore the labyrinth.