Naked Men Talking: Raising Gays
We speak with the creative team behind a new musical about raising queer children.
Exploring modern parenthood and allyship, new musical Raising Gays launches in the West End this July with a special concert reading at the Garrick Theatre.
Set in the quiet Somerset town of Little Malden, Raising Gays follows a group of parents navigating the joys, confusion and pitfalls of raising queer children. When they find themselves unexpectedly organising a parents’ float for the town’s first-ever Pride parade, their well-meaning efforts begin to unravel long-held beliefs, forcing each of them to confront their own fears and blind spots.
For our podcast, Naked Men Talking, we caught up with the musical's creative team - Micha Mirto and Jordan Paul Clarke - for a behind-the-scenes look at the show.
In the conversation, we talk Pride, empathy, and the importance of giving people time and space to figure stuff out.
Raising Gays gives us the story of a group of parents trying to do their best to support their queer kids. Why was this an experience that you wanted to bring to the stage?
Micha: We're very used to seeing the stories of homophobic villain parents, and we're very used to seeing the stories of absolute allies who get it right all the time, but it's quite rare to see the patch in between - that sort of grey area. That's certainly where my parents and Jordan's parents both existed - they absolutely love us, there's no question about that, but they're also kind of confused and a bit scared and probably in need of some help and support. Jordan and I wanted to tell the story of parents who need time and space and to be given the grace to figure it out - particularly while we are, as queer people, figuring ourselves out as well.
You're drawing on a fair bit of autobiographical content for this. were your parents happy for their stories to be put on stage in this way?
Micha: No one's story is entirely individually represented. These are composite characters.
Jordan: My mum feels that this musical is about her - she is the show's biggest super-fan. The show has respect baked into it - it is a nod to our parents with understanding and gratitude. This show exists because Misha and I had beautiful families that were far from perfect. They were flawed, but they never stopped trying to understand us and love us as well as they were able to.
You're presenting a concert reading of the musical during London's LGBTQ Pride celebrations. Pride also plays a pivotal role in the narrative of your story. What are your personal experiences of Pride celebrations?
Micha: I grew up in a small town in Somerset. I moved to London and fell in love with a woman and she took me to Pride. I had the best time - the amount of joy and acceptance and nonsense that was happening - I honestly had an extraordinary time.
Jordan: I vividly remember my first Pride being a local village Pride in Dorset. I was 12 - my mum took me. It can't have been more than 200 people in a massive field - there was a stage with rainbows on it. I remember the joy, definitely, and I also remember wanting to run away from it because it was a bit overwhelming.
Given that you're drawing on personal experiences for this piece, has the process of developing the musical shifted or evolved your perspective on parenting or your relationship with your parents?
Jordan: Yes, definitely. It's such an exercise in empathy to write this show. The characters are all parents - writing the show, we had to put ourselves in the shoes of our parents and other parents who have been through something like this. The whole thing has opened my eyes to what that experience might have been like for my parents who constantly found themselves up against a challenge where I never thought there was a challenge. Growing up, I was someone who was like, I'm gay, get over it. I've learned a million things about what it might mean to be a parent but more than anything I've learned just how much we forget to humanise parents and how much we forget to give them grace from time to time.
Micha: Because of where the piece started, I asked some direct questions to my parents that I never had. Actually just having those conversations was extraordinary.
What do you hope the people feel when they come to see this concert reading of Raising Gays?
Micha: Seen and heard. I think one of the biggest compliments that we can get for this show is if people can recognise themselves and their families in this - that means that we have done our job and we've told a human story about empathy and listening. Also, I'd love for people to say it's funny. We've worked very hard on the jokes. I would love for people to say it's funny.
- Date: Sunday 5th July 2026, 5pm
- Location: Garrick Theatre, 2 Charing Cross Road, London WC2H 0HH
- Box Office: https://nimaxtheatres.com/shows/raising-gays/
Gareth Johnson