Have you ever considered how much easier it would be to stop trying to be a nice person and just be a dick to everyone? You will after watching this show.
What is going on? Where am I? Am I falling in love?
Jazz Emu: You Shouldn’t Have is the kind of perfectly Fringe-esque set that has you asking yourself: what is going on? Where am I? Am I falling in love with the man on stage, or am I being indoctrinated into a cult? And it might be unusual to attend a performance where the person on stage insists on finger gunning every person in the audience individually, but it feels good when you do.
This is the story of Jazz Emu, stage name of Archie Henderson, a global musical superstar whose career took a dive after an unfortunate case of goblin abuse during a performance in Helsinki. Two years on, he’s desperate to get un-cancelled, move out of his parent’s house and finally groove his way back into the spotlight.
If you’re a fan of Emu’s work, you might recognise some of the tunes he has incorporated into this multimedia experience, but you don’t need any previous experience with the parody jazz musician to enjoy every minute of his performance. The songs are clearly written by someone with a passion and flair for composition, beyond the obvious humour of the lyrics and the use of dramatic timing. The range of instruments Emu has mastered is also incredibly impressive.
Using all the tools in his arsenal – a WikiHow page about making people like you, a helmet Iron Man might wear if he became a DJ, and a sexy space clarinet – Emu takes us through the day of his prepared comeback. Interspersed with calls from the father who wants him to take over the Foley art business, recorded interviews with the goblin he insulted, and a creepy segment about the fourth member of Snap, Crackle and Pop (and Jop), it's an experience like nothing you've ever imagined. So I'll stop trying to describe it so you can just go see for yourself!
