When it comes to titles that are guaranteed to draw a crowd Abie Philbin Bowman is gifted with a sparkling ability to always find a something that teeters on the edge of audaciously offensive but will defiantly peak interest. Last year he managed to find us the title 'Jesus: The Guantanamo Years,' this year he trumps it with 'Eco-friendly Jihad'- as always a comically uneasy blend of the topical and the religious.
This year's hot topic is climate change and he approaches it with his personal brand of laid back charm and obsessive observation. After meeting a Bangledesh-Scots woman in a mosque he finds himself invited to be a sleeper for Al-Quaeda. Some branches of the group, in an attempt to cut down the ever increasing carbon emissions, harness their terrorist activities for the benefit of mother earth herself. The logic? - As westerners, we cause most of the destruction of the planet, the less of us there are the less the planet and its people suffer. Bowman plays devils advocate well and prepares a convincing argument. Yet he still manages to keep things light while not straying far from the didactic - 'If you want to encourage people out of their cars and into public transport maybe bombing buses isn't the best option'
The issue is not hammered heavy handed into the audience. Bowman is sure to dilute the gravity of climate change with songs and witty asides. For a show so well researched (including footnotes and references) the show was lacking a little in terms of solid, usable information. It was satisfying nonetheless with its cursory knowledge and the humour that settled the message. Yet, for as much as the point has stuck Bowman does little to offer a solution, and while the show is an important conscience raiser I was left feeling like Bowman should deliver a few pointers on where we should apply our Jihad. Nonetheless, Eco-Friendly Jihad is an important show if only to remind us that if we carry on the way we are the planet will simply kick us off with a little sneeze and then carry on as normal.
