★★★

“ultimately never reaches the heights that it could”

Inceldom — it’s a topic that deserves to be addressed in media more regularly. If we have any hope of dispelling the narrative that is being sold to young men — that most women hate them, only care about money and looks, use sex as a cudgel — we need to be writing about it, with nuance and empathy. Comedian Jamie Sykes’ The Last Incel makes an attempt, and has been lauded after a much-celebrated run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, which has now seen it transferred to the Pleasance. But it can’t seem to decide whether it wants to be an absurdist comedy or a thoughtful exploration of this pertinent cultural issue.

The entirety of the play takes place in a Discord call. If you’re unfamiliar, it is rather similar to something like Slack or Microsoft Teams, with a Zoom-like function for video calls — and often used in the gaming community. We are initially introduced to “Ghost” (GoblinsGoblinsGoblins), “Crusher” (Jackson Ryan), and “Einstain” (Jimmy Kavanagh), through a series of grievances that they express about the state of their lives — all through the fault of women and “the system”, of course. Eventually they are joined by the friend that they all seem to tease most heavily, “Cuckboy” (Fiachra Corkery). He’s a bit late to the chat (they’re meant to be celebrating Einstain’s “ascension”, actually his 30th birthday, still a virgin)… and the others soon find out why. As it turns out, he’s done the impossible — he’s slept with a woman. And when the boys find out, well… all hell breaks loose. The premise is a great one, with boundless potential. Which is what makes it so frustrating when the reality falls short.

Margaret (Justine Stafford), the woman that “Cuckboy” has slept with, turns out to be a journalist. After being subjected to a certain amount of abuse from the men in the chat, she suggests writing an article about them. They agree, with the exception of “Crusher”, but this plot line never really bears any fruit. Instead, Margaret ends up suggesting that maybe they just… have sex with women. She even offers to recruit her friends — something she never actually has any intention of doing. She just wants them to imagine the possibilities. Predictably, her fib backfires spectacularly with one particular member of the group. Towards the end of the show, we are also treated to another under-explored side plot regarding the issue of male suicide — one of several missed opportunities here.

It’s all incredibly exasperating. Despite lots of clever bits throughout, The Last Incel ultimately never reaches the heights that it could. If Sykes wants it to be an absurdist comedy about incel culture, then he needs to be leaning further into that — similarly, if he wants to make a well-considered comedy-drama (how this piece was marketed), then something here needs to change. Incel culture isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. And it’s too important an issue to treat with contempt — or half-hearted platitudes.

THE SIMPLE LIFE & DEATH at the Pleasance Theatre

★★★★★

“spot-on comedic timing delivers the infinite number of stunning one-liners”

When Paris Hilton wrote the song Stars Are Blind, she was manifesting the divine power that brought the creators of The Simple Life & Death together. How do you create a show that is wildly niche while still making the entire audience feel included on the joke? You do it exactly like this.

The Simple Life & Death, created by Shane ShayShay Konno and Fizz Sinclair, is a masterclass in camp theatre that makes you laugh to the extent where you become deeply concerned for your own health. The performance is set in a current day TV studio on the Arkansas farm where The Simple Life, the noughties reality series starring Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie, was filmed from 2003 to 2007. At the top of the show, it is established that we are the studio audience for the live reunion special of the iconic TV series. We are introduced to Paris (Shane ShayShay Konno) and Nicole (Fizz Sinclair) in velour Juicy Couture tracksuits and blonde wigs. They are joined by surprise celebrity guests who, through rapid costume changes, are all brilliantly portrayed by Sinclair.

The set design (Ray Gammon) features pink directors’ chairs, a large haybale, film cameras and a neon ON AIR sign. What starts off as a delightful reunion with Paris, Nicole and friends quickly turns dark when one of the cast members is MURDERED. Cue the terrifying lightning and thunder. This incites Paris’ hunt for the killer so she may prove her innocence before she “gets cancelled by Gen Z on Tik-tok”. With the culprit in the studio, Paris starts interviewing all the celebrities turned suspects. Who dunnit?

This performance uses drag, sketch comedy, music and a satisfying amount of British panto elements to give us a highly original take on a murder mystery. Paris and Nicole welcome the audience and introduce their lovely assistant, Twinkerbell (Aïsha Kent) who is also the legit stage manager for the show, instilling the notion that the performers are appearing as themselves in various drag and comedy personas. They play with this throughout the evening as Twinkerbell facilitates scene changes for Konno and Sinclair who make off the cuff comments to the audience. It’s impressive how effortlessly they navigate between the narrative and sincere acknowledgments of self-awareness, thereby creating an immersive space. We are all in on the joke.

The ingenuity of the writing is effortlessly carried by Konno and Sinclair. Their spot-on comedic timing delivers the infinite number of stunning one-liners, all accessible to the audience with their varied references from Y2K nostalgia to current day pop culture. Some include Legally Blonde, White Lotus and Ghost Hunting with Girls Aloud. This diversity in the text allows the past and present to come together in a celebration of shared memories between audience members, further immersing us in the performance space. The sound design (Eliyana Evans) is also employed to create this shared familiarity through sounds from recognisable TV series such as X-Factor, Judge Judy and American Horror Story. The dramaturgical frame of the fictional TV special is continuously reinforced through ‘filming’ breaks and reoccurring parodical product placements for Paris’ numerous entrepreneurial endeavours.

Seamlessly moving between wholesome, witty and irreverent, Konno and Sinclair are consistently funny. With fabulous costumes, hysterical singing outbursts and mesmerising stage presence they deliver a truly remarkable display of showmanship. Creating an inclusive and immersive performance that could put top comedians to shame, Konno and Sinclair are masters of their craft. We can only hope that their collaboration continues. In the meantime, do yourself a courtesy and RUN to see The Simple Life & Death. It’s really hot.

THE LAST INCEL

Pleasance Theatre

★★★

“ultimately never reaches the heights that it could”

THE LAST INCEL

Pleasance Theatre

Reviewed on 16th May 2025

by Stacey Cullen

Photography by Dean Ben Ayre

Last ten shows reviewed at this venue:

The Last Incel

The Last Incel

The Last Incel

THE SIMPLE LIFE & DEATH at the Pleasance Theatre

★★★★★

“spot-on comedic timing delivers the infinite number of stunning one-liners”

THE SIMPLE LIFE & DEATH at the Pleasance Theatre

Reviewed on 28th November 2024

by Lara van Huyssteen

Photography by Lucy Hayes

Previously reviewed at this venue:

THE SIMPLE LIFE

THE SIMPLE LIFE

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