It’s a great idea. It was thought up by Nathan Evans, who met most of his co-stars while he was doing cabaret at the RVT. Inspired by a line from the 1980 movie Flash Gordon, a succession of avant garde, queer performers each has fourteen minutes to describe their plans for saving our doomed planet. Needless to say, given those involved, it’s all a bit bonkers – don’t expect anything overly polished here.
In the opening slot Timberlina asked two punters on stage to help him butter a loaf of bread – although we’re not sure what this had to do with Tim’s scheme to buy the world. Burlesque artist Fancy Chance recreated her role as the winner of the 2009 Alternative Miss World contest to sing ‘The Greatest Love of All’, play with an inflatable globe à la Chaplin in The Great Dictator, and finally to sing ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’ as either Elvis or Kim Jong-Il or perhaps both! Top of the bill was the great David Hoyle, who declaimed his now familiar philosophy (“You will leave this show and you will kill all in authority”), but seemed constricted by the shorter format. I longed for him to break out of it and cause mayhem!
The show is mixed media and two performers appear only digitally. Kate Pelling is a video artist, and Bloolips legend Bette Bourne recalls having sex with his first boyfriend while the Cuban missile crisis really did threaten to destroy the Earth. He advises us that, if we find ourselves in a similar situation, we should fuck our brains out and raises one of the show’s biggest laughs.
When the world ends, if only it would happen at the hands of such an colourfully eclectic combination of characters!
• I Love You… is at the Latitude Festival on 14th July (www.latitudefestival.co.uk); Royal Vauxhall Tavern on 16th August (www.rvt.org.uk); Dugdale Centre on 22nd September (www.dugdalecentre.co.uk); Marlborough, Brighton, on 28th-29th September (www.marlboroughtheatre.org.uk); Arts Depot, Finchley, on 20th October (www.artsdepot.co.uk ); and Stratford Circus on 16th November (www.stratford-circus.com)
Photos: AbsoluteQueer Photography
