Things are not going well for Luke McQueen. He is lonely. His Dad prefers his successful brother. He owes his Grandmother a lot of money. All his efforts to win his girlfriend back (a highly publicised media campaign; #getsarahback) after he cheated on her were not successful. His recent discovery of time travel has created its own complications. He portrays an air of bitter and angry failure. And what’s more, this is going to become our problem.
This show is packed to the hilt with absurd and delightful surprises.
Our protagonist is both fierce and vulnerable. McQueen is thoroughly immersed in his curmudgeonly role; unperturbed by the atmosphere of nervousness and incredulity he’s produced. His deadpan expression is occasionally interrupted by a fierce smile that falls off his face like a mask worn at an inappropriate occasion. There’s an element of physical theatre in this performance; McQueen delivers many of the laughs merely with his eyes. He is very much in charge of this room.
If you’re tired of the safety of the stand up genre this show is for you – McQueen is not interested in making you feel comfortable; this show pushes boundaries and involves audience members at the core of the show’s progress in new and deeply original ways. You could cut the tension in the room with a knife. McQueen elicits squawks of surprise and appreciation at his commitment to pursuing an idea. We are all trapped for the moment in McQueen’s reality and no one would leave for fear of the attention movement might attract. Having said that, this show is a symbiotic manifestation of collaboration between performer and audience, in some new and really clever ways. The result is deeply satisfying.
This show is packed to the hilt with absurd and delightful surprises. It is an electric, challenging, and unique performance that will shake you out of complacency and given you an appreciation of another person’s reality. This is a show that you will remember long after you’ve been released back into the world, not without a degree of relief. A special offering in the Fringe – get along, so I have someone to talk to about it.
