When people talk about the Edinburgh Festival Fringe being a celebration of creativity and new and interesting ideas, they quite often don’t quite get what that means. Because often when someone says ‘new’ they mean ‘an old unpopular thing in a new package’, rather than something genuinely unusual and novel. Don’t Flush Me Yet is 100% a strange premise for a show that we doubt you’ve seen anywhere else.
It’s about a man who takes a bowel movement, and then the results of his actions start pleading that they not be flushed away. That’s right, this is a show about sentient poo. The plot is rather silly, as you’d expect. A lonely old man declares that he is rather unwell, and uses the large comedy prop toilet, pulling down his pants in rather a hurry. (The actor is wearing skin-tone pants underneath; don’t worry, this show is suitable for the squeamish.) They release the blockage, and are horrified when said blockage not only starts talking to them, but is also fairly relaxed and fancy-free.
The old man ponders that he maybe shouldn’t have ‘eaten something funny’. A sinister agent of Thames Water arrives. Wackiness ensues, one that leads to an inevitable trip to Brighton, which is the sort of place that even a sentient poo can let its freak flag fly.
Is this show a massive metaphor about repression, especially when it comes to LGBTQIA+ issues? Yes, of course it is. Doesn’t that make it any less funny, surreal or entertaining? Not at all. This is a two-man show, with one performer staying consistent throughout and another doing all the quick changes. And yes, this means that the talking poo isn’t always on stage. It has a message that means something, but also has a solid message about hygiene in general. And the state of the water supply in England.
Don’t Flush Me Yet might sound like a crap idea for a show, but it’s sure to flush away its competition. Silly, surreal and a show that knows exactly what it’s meant to be. Scatological humour at its finest, absolutely worth your (quiet) time.
Find out more about Don’t Flush Me Yet here
