Theatre / Reviews
Review: Watch Me Die, Loco Klub – ‘Witty, absurd, challenging and brave’
It’s increasingly difficult to even discuss social media without veering into cliche. To tackle the subject artistically in a manner that feels novel and worthwhile is even harder, and Taylor Ayling’s Watch Me Die manages just that.
The one-woman show, starring Eunice Da Silva, is by turns witty, absurd, challenging and brave. Da Silva’s acting is impressive, with the script demanding breadth and skill.
The central premise of the work is Petunia Power staging her own extravagant funeral, to mark the occasion of her deleting her social media accounts following online trolling.
is needed now More than ever
Frequent audience participation lends a levity to this sometimes hard-hitting piece, as does the hysterical tone comically maintained by Da Silva.
The work follows the ordinary order of a funeral: procession, hymns, eulogy and the committing of the body. The subversion of this ritual is rewarding as an audience member.
The supporting show was Gurt Haunted, a comedy subjecting popular paranormal television shows to richly deserved satirisation. It covers all bases: Toby Robertshaw plays the vain, brooding frontman who wears sunglasses indoors and wears leather jackets. Benji Foster is the clueless historian, and later the fatuous apprentice. In Casey Everton we have the sleazebag executive who doesn’t believe at all in the paranormal, but likes a pound note.
The work is, at times, about as funny as something can be. The inherent dynamic between the well-chosen characters, married with sensational acting from all three men, makes for a glorious show. Gurt Haunted is so perfect a paranormal parody that it more-or-less retires the genre.
Watch Me Die (age recommendation 18+) is at The Loco Klub on October 30-November 1 at 7.30pm. Tickets are available from www.headfirstbristol.co.uk.
All photos: Daniel Holmes
Read more: ‘Watch Me Die’: The Bristolian director’s twisted, interactive one-woman comedy set at a funeral
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