We adored Joel Sellman-Leava’s previous one-man show, Fanboy, because it was pretty much the quintessential take on the joys of being a fan in a difficult, social media-soaked age. Joel’s latest show, Copycat, is as well considered and compelling, as well as being extremely pop-culture savvy and topical.
The set has a ‘paper and stationery’ vibe to it, to put us in mind of a classroom or similar environment. As we walked in, Joel was giving out handmade paper fans to the front row and chatting away to the audience in a relaxed, friendly way. As the show begins, this relaxed and informed performance style continued;Copycat feels much like an intense (and one-sided) conversation as the performer reflects and mimics the mood.
Back projection and carefully placed cameras complete the immersion, as well as providing a metaphor of sorts for the story. Selma tells the tale of graduating from school and preparing to perform in the end-of-year school show. Turns out he can do some pretty wicked impersonations of the teachers, and this would, of course, be useful in his career in the performing arts.
This also sets us up for the various characters we meet during the story; Joel uses his vocal skills to define various characters. Particularly a charismatic teacher who understands how to teach literature and drama, and what those things are for. The maxim “talent borrows, genius steals” becomes central to this story; is imitation theft? Does it matter?
Copycat’s other narrative is about AI, and we flip between young Joe’s journey into the creative arts as he learns how to imitate and innovate, and into the realm of tech companies using powerful computers to imitate and copy, but never innovate. Joel sounds the alarm regarding how history seems to replicate itself, and how the concerns of the last century are still with us; now they seem to be powered by AI. Powerful and scary stuff.
Copycat is another tour-de-force of Joel Sellman-Leava and one of those food-for-thought shows that will have you thinking for weeks to come. Brilliant.
