By Anne-Louise Fortune
Bagbeard is the current show from the all-male performance troupe Crybabies, and this show was a huge hit at the Edinburgh Fringe in the summer of 2022. It’s being revived in London at the Soho Theatre for two brief runs in January and March 2023. The show’s fringe origin is apparent throughout, both in terms of the short running time and the interactions with the audience.
At this point in a review, we’d ordinarily try and sum up the plot. To explain the story would take too long, and this is the sort of production that each audience member will recall something different from if asked afterwards. To make an attempt, however: Chris Mystery – not Christmas Tree (Ed Jones) – is a Junior School Science Teacher on a remote island somewhere off the UK coastline that has a distinct The Wicker Man feel.
Mystery has been attempting to gain entry to the Institute of Brilliant Scientists for years, but all his attempts have been for nought. His one final attempt to gain recognition comes after he encounters Bagbeard (James Gault) in the woods on the island, and attempts to keep the strange person hidden from pseudo-FBI spook Victor Valentine (Michael Clarke – soon to appear in Joe Cornish’s Lockwood & Co on Netflix). Beyond this, there’s a series of encounters with other residents of the island, all played by Clarke, Gault and Jones, all of whom multi-role as the show rockets along at an increasingly frenetic pace.
There’s a whole mountain of British cultural references to be uncovered here. From the spirit of The Goonies and Monty Python, to even what feels like a vibe of The Honourable Tom Houghton’s stand-up. In terms of film references, as well as The Wicker Man, there are references and nods to ET, The Terminator films, Dr Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, Superman, and Back to the Future. Theatrically, it feels like the enthusiasm and genre-mashing of musical specialists Fat Rascal (Vulvarine, Unfortunate) has worn off on Crybabies. The references come thick and fast in amongst the developing plot, as the story bounces off genres like a pinball hitting the flippers.
As you’d expect from a trio of young British comic actors, there’s a lot of groan-worthy wordplay, and a perhaps less expected level of semi-nudity and Y-Fronts. At times, things seem to go wrong, but so slick are the recoveries that it’s impossible to tell if these were deliberate or accidental.
So what’s the plot? Yes. What genre is it? All of them! The level of energy, the pace, the desire, and ability to pull off a show this energetic, this funny, and this completely mind-bogglingly extra, whilst still telling a compelling story, leads to the conclusion that this sort of epic titting around is something you only get from a group at the top of their game.
Crybabies: Bagbeard, plays at the Soho Theatre from 7th to 11th March 2023.
