Eat $h*t has a strong environmental presence and the message is clear: our excrement could save the world if we could just leave behind the taboo and get over our poo phobia. Humans have polluted the world and stripped it of its natural resources, so it’s our job to clean up the mess we have made – using our own unavoidable mess.
It’s a great idea, but how should we approach the start? Unfortunately, Shawn Shafner offers very little in the way of ideas for action other than to ‘talk about it.’ Instead, he presents his idea in a puerile comedy show full of puns on the word ‘ass’ and, quite literally, toilet humour. Advertising connoisseur Karl is persuaded by Mr. Poop to put together his rebranding campaign. Things aren’t that simple: en route he runs into Miss Manners, Water, and (bizarrely) Martin Luther, all of whom enlighten him to the deeper problems and potentials of poo.
If you decide early on that this show is not going to make you laugh and accept it, the show contains an interesting discussion. I felt somewhat like a primary school student whose science teacher had thought the best way to reach out to the kids was the disguise science as an inane sketch show. Well-written and performed songs are the highlight of this show, and the acting isn’t bad. I was a little confused about the decision to include a lot of unnecessary swearing that didn’t further the comedy or the idea, with lines such as ‘don’t be such a Jew’ and ‘I’m a dyke’ being on my list of incongruous and uncomfortable details.
I cracked a real smile during the finale when the cast came together in song and the production showed some real potential. I only wish this kind of enthusiastic, good-humoured, and universal science lesson had shown itself earlier.
