You may recall last week in my review of Identity Crisis that I heavily questioned my old view that a solo show that was written and performed by the same person, was usually an indication that it would be terrible. Well if that performance cast doubts on this assumption This is Not Culturally Significant blew them completely out of the water!
This solo show, written and performed by Adam Scott-Rowley, comprises of ten characters all living within the same world. Outside of this simple statement the show itself is hard to describe without seeing it, Scott-Rowley moves expertly from character to character at breakneck speed, leaving you with a show that needs to be seen to be believed.
Let’s start off by saying this is not a for the faint hearted. Between the fact that the performer is nude throughout, the coarse language, to the explicit content, everything about this is an adult show. Yet at no point does it stray into that territory all too familiar with fringe shows of being shocking for the sake of being shocking. Almost immediately the nudity becomes a background narrative and the characters are performed so well it is hard to be shocked by anything they do or say, as that is just who they are. These are real, fleshed out characters, seen in snapshots that portray an insight into their lives.
The physicality Scott-Rowley exudes during the performance as he switches between so many unique characters, has to be seen to be believed. The transformations are amazing, he transitions physically and vocally in such a seamless way that it is almost mesmerizing. Every gesture is on point. This is an actor to watch out for, he’s a powerhouse who just has to be pegged for big things!
The play manages to strike a genuine balance between being genuinely laugh out loud funny while remaining firmly dark. This is pure entertainment for those of us who don’t want to spend our time faking laughs at shows on the West End It’s seriously high energy throughout which makes the whole show fly by. Even technically this show is fantastic, with the sound and lighting being striking, effective, and some of the best quality I’ve seen in a venue of this size. Outside of the technical aspects this is a really stripped down show, with just a chair and a hanging light on the stage, and yet the performance is good it really doesn’t feel like it. It’s a show so full of life you seem to forget you are in a bare black box theatre.
This is possibly the best show I have seen this year, make sure you catch it at The Bunker until the 3rd of June.
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