Natalie Palamides premiered her show Nate to wide acclaim at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where it won a Total Theatre Award for Innovation and Experimentation in 2018 before Amy Poehler produced it as a Netflix special. As the show begins, we meet Nate, “a hypermasculine, adrenaline fueled, protein powder enthusiast … a man’s man.” (NPR) Performed by Natalie Palamides in drag, Nate careens between making the audience laugh and making them uncomfortable, earnestly asking for permission while manipulating audience members to comply. The constant mixed signals come to a head with conflicting interpretations of consent — though perhaps not in the ways you would expect. This clever and provocative deconstruction of toxic masculinity sticks with you long after the performance ends.