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Hilariously funny, but also dark and poignant, this beautifully executed show looks at colonialism in Guam through the lens of a demonised processed meat. Summary
Rating
Excellent
Sierra Sevilla advises us that Guam is not a fruit (unlike a guava), despite what people might flippantly say. It is in fact an idyllic island in the Pacific where she was brought up, enjoying eating Spam, which everyone now condemns her for. Unfortunately, the main time she got to indulge her liking for this demonised processed meat was during typhoon season, sheltering from destructive storms that were simultaneously in the process of wiping out the rest of the island. Why does she love Spam so much? To her it’s safety in a storm, a shared family experience, security and found heritage amongst other things. For the Love of Spam beautifully explores this extraordinary relationship.
Sevilla is a charismatic and naturally funny performer, who warmly welcomes the audience into her very personal world. She is cheeky, playful and smart, and sings delightfully, inviting us to know and embrace her cultural heritage. Her love for Spam is at the centre of a complex understanding of prejudice and disrespect, including the US role in colonising Guam in the name of ‘liberation’ from the Japanese in World War II. They now occupy the land as a strategic military outpost, at the expense of the culture, heritage and even lives of the indigenous population – Sevilla’s family and friends.
The play is enormously funny, with Sevilla energetically allowing us to laugh alongside her touching story. From cheap puppetry and Disney sparkle to comic sexual antics, she delivers laughs by the shedload in a committed physical performance. But alongside the humour the carefully crafted script paints evocative pictures of island life; the smell of the plumeria; the beautiful water; her close family and friends. Guam is a home with fabulous qualities, but which she was encouraged to leave because she was ‘too intelligent’ to stay there; a place redefined by its relationship with the occupier. Her eloquent and intelligent explanation of the politics of colonisation asks us to question what we’ve been told, to reassess what ‘foreign aid’ really manifests as; what oppression is. And it deals with these challenging topics through a wonderfully palatable, highly entertaining performance.
Laugh out loud moments of joyful exuberance are balanced beautifully with soulful singing and darkly poignant reflection. The use of documentary film clips shifts the atmosphere acutely from saccharine Disney spoof to bitter revelation of acute danger. Izzy Rabey’s slick direction is sharp and effective, using the small space to the max, allowing Sevilla to seamlessly engage with the audience and keeping the solo performance interesting and textured.
The last 14 minutes of the show are piercingly challenging, as Sevilla invites the audience to share Spam with her and reflect on how they might feel if they were in Guam, endangered by their mere existence there. To me it brought remembrances of the US presence at Greenham Common, making the UK vulnerable to nuclear attack. I thought of family and friends and the important things in life and mentally shared a touching moment with those islanders across the other side of the world. Sharing Spam together brings a searingly insightful understanding of another culture.
This is a beautifully executed show, hilariously funny but intelligently provocative and moving. It’s a really great night out that offers lots of laughs but much to think about. I’m already looking forward to seeing For the Love of Spam at the Edinburgh Fringe!
Written by: Sierra Sevilla
Directed and Dramaturgy by: Izzy Rabey
Produced by: Caleb Lee
You can hear Sierra Sevilla talking about the show in our podcast here.
For The Love of Spam has completed its current run. The show will be playing at EdFringe in August, further information here.
