Meet Megan and Sophie. They
Performers Alexander Joseph and Ro Robertson do their best to disguise it, but there’s real mastery lurking underneath their show of barely-there competence
Cinebra: A History of Horror is structured as a seminar, replete with dodgy PowerPoint slides, interruptions, and genuinely interesting facts delivered with a recognisable mixture of pride and embarrassment. We begin by learning about the origins of cinematic horror, those silent pictures with their roots in classic literature (“Which is another word for books”, as Megan helpfully tells us). We are treated to an exclusive interview with an endearing and loquacious Nosferatu; who knew what an amenable interviewee the legendary vampire would prove to be?
Yet as the piece progresses, it dawns on the audience that the seminar is not quite going to plan. The technical glitches start to intensify. Something sinister is happening with Megan’s Facetime calls to her friend Abigail. And why has Sophie suddenly started to twitch…? The pair struggle on, taking in the Universal years; 90s slasher classics and found footage films, but there’s only so far you can take a presentation while being under the influence of demonic possession.
Performers Alexander Joseph and Ro Robertson do their best to disguise it, but there’s real mastery lurking underneath their show of barely-there competence. The songs (melodies contagious as a George Romero zombie movie, lyrics as sharp as Freddy Krueger's blades) are delivered with spine-tingling harmonies. The PowerPoint slides may appear clunky – garish fonts and cringeworthy transitions – but all the AV aspects of the show are slick. It’s clear that great care has been taken with every aspect of Cinebra: A History of Horror, ensuring that the show is as funny, spooky and, yes, even as informative as you could wish for.
Sophie and Megan have it right: being a teenage girl is a horror. Yet this show is pure delight.
