NO PRESIDENT
Queen Elizabeth Hall
★★★
“unapologetically confusing, daring, and surreal”
Everything is set for a spectacular performance: the rich red curtains, the intricate set pieces, stylized streets, doors, and surreal backdrops. But just as you begin to settle in, Robert M. Johanson, channeling a character who looks uncannily like Steve Buscemi in The Big Lebowski, steps on stage and upends all expectations. He proceeds to narrate the action, sometimes cryptically, often chaotically, describing everything unfolding before your eyes and leaving you in a state of bewildered fascination until the final curtain.
No President, by the ever-provocative Nature Theater of Oklahoma, is unapologetically confusing, daring, and surreal. And here’s your fair warning: if you’re sensitive to phallic imagery, cannibalism, or sodomy, this show is not for you.
A standout performance comes from Ilan Bachrach in the role of Mikey. His energy and emotional grounding bring a much-needed human core to a show that often spirals into absurdity. While the production thrives on satire and chaos, the pacing begins to falter midway. It’s not just the provocative content that might test some viewers; it’s the disjointed morality, which seems to vanish for a stretch before awkwardly reappearing in the final act.
The choice to use Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake and The Nutcracker as a recurring musical backdrop suggests a responsibility to hold the audience’s attention and add thematic depth. Unfortunately, this choice doesn’t quite land; the classical scores feel more like ironic wallpaper than emotional anchors.
This is a show designed to provoke, disorient, and confront. Whether that’s a triumph or a misfire will depend entirely on your appetite for experimental theatre that pushes every boundary.
NO PRESIDENT
Queen Elizabeth Hall
Reviewed on 9th July 2025
by Beatrice Morandi
Photography by Heinrich Brinkmöller-Becker
Last ten shows reviewed at Southbank venues:
AN ALPINE SYMPHONY | ★★★★ | ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL | February 2025
THE EMPLOYEES | ★★★★★ | QUEEN ELIZABETH HALL | January 2025
THE CREAKERS | ★★★★ | QUEEN ELIZABETH HALL | December 2024
DUCK POND | ★★★★ | ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL | December 2024
KARINA CANELLAKIS CONDUCTS SCHUMANN & BRUCKNER | ★★★★ | ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL | October 2024
JOYCE DIDONATO SINGS BERLIOZ | ★★★★ | ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL | September 2024
MARGARET LENG TAN: DRAGON LADIES DON’T WEEP | ★★★★ | QUEEN ELIZABETH HALL | May 2024
MASTERCLASS | ★★★★ | PURCELL ROOM | May 2024
FROM ENGLAND WITH LOVE | ★★★½ | QUEEN ELIZABETH HALL | April 2024
REUBEN KAYE: THE BUTCH IS BACK | ★★★★ | PURCELL ROOM | December 2023
