★★★★★

“Self-aware and ironic, the show allows nothing, and yet everything, to be sacred”

Imagine you could travel back through time. Well, along your own lifetime. Where would you go? What crucial, formative moments would you love to revisit in all their cringey – or spectacular – glory? This is the premise for ‘Hot Gay Time Machine’, a wonderfully camp and self-aware musical cabaret now basking in the warm glow of a West End transfer.

Zak Ghazi-Torbati and Toby Marlow are an electrifying, hilarious double-act. With Marlow on keyboard, the pair journey forwards from their high school days staring at/avoiding “cocks in the locker room”, through coming out to their mums, to becoming the hot gay time machine specialists they are today. With writer/director Lucy Moss, the team have assembled a show that offers relatable stories, joyful musical numbers, and a fun exploration of being modern day (cis-white-privileged) gay men.

Self-aware and ironic, the show allows nothing, and yet everything, to be sacred. The humour masks a serious mission (donations to Stonewall were also welcomed at the end) to bring gay culture to ‘the mainstream’ with all the contradictions that come with that openly on display. At one point the duo ask themselves if they’ve ever had a gay male friend they’ve not had some sort of sexual relationship with. Answer: yes! Well, sort of. There is always “that one time.” Or “that other time.” And so it goes.

But this is an evening for all to enjoy. The songs are a constant game of bait-and-switch, lively and funny, and the show is an absolute blast from start to finish. Audience interaction is a necessity and the duo deal with heckles with cool bravado. The set is pink to the max, and yes, there is a shimmer curtain. A definite favourite for Friday night crowds, the audience seemed to love every minute of the show.

Bombastic, hilarious and musically inventive, ‘Hot Gay Time Machine’ is top-notch queer cabaret from three extremely talented artists.

Reviewed by Joseph Prestwich

Photography by Pamela Raith

The Crumple Zone

King’s Head Theatre

Reviewed – 29th November 2018

★★

“remains an entertaining, if slightly dated, queer Christmas show”

The titular crumple zone refers to the part of a car designed to crumple up on impact to protect the people inside. It’s a fitting metaphor for the poor characters in this show who end up bearing the brunt of other peoples’ romantic decisions and works as well for the show itself. Although far from being a car crash, ‘The Crumple Zone’ tiptoes around a compelling and dramatic story, leaving the audience aware of an emotional punch, and yet completely unaffected by it.

Buddy Thomas’ script introduces us to Alex (Nick Brittain), Buck (Robbie Capaldi) and Terry (Lucas Livesey), all struggling actors working crappy jobs to get through the Christmas holidays. Alex is dating Buck, to the ignorance of the long-term girlfriend Sam (Natasha Edwards), and their relationship is put into question when Sam, to everyone’s surprise, returns home from tour on Christmas Eve. Meanwhile, Terry picks up Roger (Fanos Xenofos), another adulterer, using him as a rebound after his repeat rejection from Buck.

It’s certainly comedy caper territory, especially with Livesey’s Terry, whose wisecracking cynicism really makes the show enjoyable. However, Livesey is not matched by his fellow actors, who fail to raise the stakes when it’s needed most. Robert McWhir places his actors effectively, but no one seems affected or changed by the drama surrounding them. This is partly the script’s fault. Not only are a lot of the jokes and cultural references dated (to a Millennial at least!), but we don’t know who to root for. Relationships are simply not set up in such a way to make us care for anyone. The biggest betrayal barely registers for Sam, so why should it register for us? ‘The Crumple Zone’ is only eighteen years old, but it’s representation of gay/bisexual men as either cheaters or callously promiscuous does not hold up well. Not that I advocate only positive representation, but we do hope to see more nuanced characters these days.

All in all, I can see why this play was an “off-Broadway hit” back in 2000. Warm, witty, and with an incredibly watchable performance from Livesey, ‘The Crumple Zone’ remains an entertaining, if slightly dated, queer Christmas show.

Trafalgar Studios

Reviewed – 30th November 2018

★★★★★

“Self-aware and ironic, the show allows nothing, and yet everything, to be sacred”

Bombastic, hilarious and musically inventive, ‘Hot Gay Time Machine’ is top-notch queer cabaret from three extremely talented artists.

Reviewed by Joseph Prestwich

Photography by Pamela Raith

Hot Gay Time Machine

Trafalgar Studios until 5th January

Previously reviewed at this venue:

King’s Head Theatre

Reviewed – 29th November 2018

★★

“remains an entertaining, if slightly dated, queer Christmas show”

All in all, I can see why this play was an “off-Broadway hit” back in 2000. Warm, witty, and with an incredibly watchable performance from Livesey, ‘The Crumple Zone’ remains an entertaining, if slightly dated, queer Christmas show.

Reviewed by Joseph Prestwich

Photography by Joel M Photography

The Crumple Zone

King’s Head Theatre until 9th December

Last ten shows reviewed at this venue