Saturday 11 May 2019

Boom Bang-A-Bang @ Above The Stag Theatre

Boom Bang-A-Bang @ Above The Stag Theatre

A lack of guests; an interfering neighbour; infidelity; and a busted TV. This is a Eurovision party where everything that could possibly go wrong, does.

Jonathan Harvey (Gimme Gimme Gimme and multiple other TV shows and plays) first wrote Boom Bang-A-Bang back in 1995 and it's remarkable how well it holds up. The script is full of nods to the annual contest which is just as popular with the queer community now as it was back then. And it's still unlikely we'll win.

Yet Boom Bang-A-Bang isn't really a play about Eurovision, it's a play that touches on deeper themes: grief, internalised homophobia, and friendships between gay and straight men. The protagonist is party host Lee (Adam McCoy), who still grieves for his boyfriend who recently died from a brain tumour. For them, Eurovision was their special yearly event - hosting a party without him turns out to be a traumatic experience.

It's best mate Steph (Christopher Lane), though, who steals the limelight. A bitchy queen, he's jealous, bitter and manipulative, yet eminently watchable. He manages to consistently be the centre of attention to the detriment of the other characters, even though you suspect he has a heart of gold...somewhere deep down. Elsewhere, Sean Huddlestan plays a perennially positive (and high) Roy and Joshua Coley is the nerdy, nosy neighbour Norman. Sadly the female characters get something of a raw deal.

Together the cast make up a collection of queer stereotypes, as recognisable as they are over the top. This is camp and flamboyant soap opera drama, that plays out on a detailed set from director and designer Andrew Beckett. We all know people like these and the gossipy trials and tribulations of their lives are compelling to watch, even if the messiness spills into farce eventually.

There are still some tender moments though amongst all the jokes. Harvey's often hilarious script carefully balances witticisms and queer references with darker, human material. And just like Eurovision, it's wonderfully frothy entertainment that doesn't take itself too seriously.

4/5

Watch: Boom Bang-A-Bang runs at the Above The Stag Theatre until 9th June.

Boom Bang-A-Bang @ Above The Stag Theatre

Boom Bang-A-Bang @ Above The Stag Theatre
Photos: PBG Studios