boobytrapped takes a wonderfully outrageous premise and turns it into something that is not only frequently hilarious but also surprisingly touching.

A chance meeting in a nightclub sees gay man Kevin instantly attracted to Simon. The flirtation is going rather well until Kevin discovers that the object of his lust has, as he rather bluntly puts it, “boobies”. Simon is trans, and Kevin’s initial attraction comes to an abrupt and decidedly awkward halt.

Things then take a turn for the completely surreal when the pair physically crash into one another, only to regain consciousness in each other’s bodies. For Kevin, the discovery is one of absolute horror; for Simon, there is an altogether different sense of wonderment.

What follows is a clever and often very funny exploration of what it might actually mean to experience life in somebody else’s body. Forced quite literally to walk in each other’s shoes, Kevin and Simon begin to understand each other in ways that neither could have anticipated. Beneath the comedy there are some genuinely touching moments as assumptions are challenged and both are confronted with the realities of the other’s situation.

An excruciatingly funny game of Twister, played while discussing pizza toppings, was a particular highlight and had the audience roaring with laughter.

Both actors are fabulous, throwing themselves physically and emotionally into the roles and making an improbable premise somehow work. Funny, warm and thought-provoking, boobytrapped uses its body-swap comedy to say something rather lovely about empathy, identity and seeing the person beyond the body.

****1/2

Reviewed By Rona