Reasonable Crash Out, Lion and Unicorn Theatre
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‘Go big or go home’ could be the motto of many Camden Fringe shows, with its reputation of being the perfect place to take a few risks and test out new work, or in the case of L Cube, give a first taste of putting on a full professional production to a brand new company. L Cube is a collective of ESEA queer creatives, whilst their show, Reasonable Crash Out is a raw, tender, and darkly funny journey of self-worth, body image, and the messy road to self-acceptance.
Reasonable Crash Out plays at Lion and Unicorn Theatre from Thursdsay 21 to Saturday 23 August, tickets here.
We grabbed some time with the team at L Cube, Shiyu Lou, Ern Linn Chong, Xuan Ge and BAI Ruiying to find out a little more.
What can audiences expect from the show?
SL: Reasonable Crash Out follows our protagonist Ling, who believes that changing her body through fitness will win over her crush. But as the story unfolds, she realises that the real challenge isn’t her appearance – it’s learning to love herself.
ELC: Audiences can expect a truthful and honest conversation about self-esteem and how, without fixing what’s wrong inside, you will be miserable, even when finding someone to love you.
XG: A journey with the writer to find confidence and self-love, and enjoy the writer’s dramatic emotional experience.
ELC: And lots of laughs in the middle too, remember that. This is a comedy, after all.
Is Camden Fringe going to be the show’s first time on stage, or have you already performed elsewhere?
SL: Yes, Camden Fringe will be the first time our show is performed on stage. In fact, it’s also the first theatre production for many of us involved – we have a first-time scriptwriter, first-time director, first-time producer, and first-time performers. Some might see this as a risk, but we believe Camden Fringe is exactly the kind of platform that welcomes fresh, bold work, so for us, it’s perfect. Go big or go home, right? We’re pouring in all our energy and bringing new perspectives and unexpected ideas. We’re excited (and a little nervous) to share it with audiences for the very first time.
What was your inspiration behind the show?
ELC: I don’t like to talk about this cause I’m scared the person who inspired this play might see this. But screw it, gotta face my truth, right? This is literally what the play is trying to convey.
So, I wrote this while I had a full-blown crash out after being rejected by my ex-crush. I name this play ‘reasonable crash out’ cause what the protagonist, Ling, does is crazy, but it is logical; people will do the same thing if they are in her shoes. Everything Ling has been through, I’ve been through the same once, exact details, characters that I directly copied from people IRL. So, this is a memoir of my darkest days, writing and bringing it to the stage is also my first step to healing.
What was it that drew you to this show and role?
BR: Initially, I thought I identified more with the character Mandy based on the descriptions of the characters’ appearances. However, after reading Ling’s character introduction, I found her to be a much more authentic and vivid role. She isn’t a flawless protagonist – unlike Mandy, who shines so brightly – but I believe even those seemingly perfect lives are constructed step by step.
What resonates deeply with me is the raw honesty of this story. Ling’s struggles – her unrequited love, emotional outbursts through binge-eating, and the subsequent spiral into an eating disorder in pursuit of societal approval – reflect issues that I see around me. I would truly welcome the opportunity to explore these very real challenges faced by young women. I also greatly appreciate the creative team for focusing on ‘ordinary’ girls with raw emotions.
How challenging has this role been for you?
BR: Ling’s journey of self-growth is fraught with pain, which presents a challenge for me, as I often have to get myself to grapple with unresolved self-doubt to get the energy for the character. Yet, I believe the creative process, while demanding, offers a valuable opportunity for my self-reflection. It might give me the courage to shed societal labels and confront my truest self, which is quite important for me as an actress.
What brought you all together?
XG: Love for theatre and ESEA queer identity.
ELC: Rednote. I asked for a producer who trusts my vision, and Xuan came. Some personal stuff happened in my life, and I realised I am not fit for directing. Suddenly, Shiyu extended her interest. So Xuan took on the director role, and Shiyu now became the producer.
SL: Yeah, so we’re pretty much a 草台班子 (grassroots troupe) – but honestly, we’re not stressed. In Chinese, we say, ‘The world itself is one big grassroots troupe anyway’. What matters is: we’re a grassroots troupe with a lot of love and ideas for queer theatre.
Being a fringe festival, we all know sets have to be bare minimum, how have you got around this with your set and props?
XG: We’ve enhanced the functionality of each prop so they can be reused in multiple ways. For example, we have a versatile table that serves different purposes in different scenes. We’ve also incorporated more projections and sound design. Since we couldn’t afford a professional live camera setup, we got creative -we modified a projector to connect with a mobile phone, which now allows us to project real-time footage during the performance.
Are there any plans for what comes next after the show has finished its run – for you or the show?
XG: We are bringing Reasonable Crash Out to the Lambeth Fringe on 28 September, followed by a new play titled Eulogy on 23 October.
SL: So if you can’t make it to our Camden Fringe show, stay tuned on our social media @lll_cube for info on our upcoming performances.
If you had to describe your show as a meal what would it be?
ELC: I would describe it as the Tesco meal deal I had for dinner, which I vomited out and swallowed back when I was processing my heartbreak with alcohol. The writing process has too much alcohol involved. When I look at the script, I get flashbacks of all those nights writing it, I can feel it in my throat, nose, liver…
XG and SL: Ewwww
What is the weirdest or most unconventional prop used in your show?
ELC: The naked doll we got from Amazon. She is now an important member of our team. Esteem actress Kim Dong Yu, gender female, pronouns she/her (金姛玉，性别女). We also took her to this year’s Pride in London, and everyone loves her.
SL and XG: They ask ‘how’.
ELC: I said ‘got from Amazon’.
If budget or reality was not an issue, what’s the one piece of scenery/set you’d love to have in your show?
XG: Let’s stop being Jamie Lloyd and bring a barricade…just kidding. But I really want a beautiful white sofa and A REAL LIVE CAMERA.
SL: Oh come on, not just a sofa and a camera, we need more edge!
ELC: I’d love to have real pole dancers during the nightclub scene and a muscular woman flexing during the transformation scene.
SL: Okay, now this is edgy.
What words of advice/encouragement would you give anyone thinking about doing Camden Fringe next year?
SL: All you need to do is make up your mind to do it. It’s not as hard as you think.
ELC: Go for it if u have money LMAOOOOOOOOOO
XG: Good luck!
Thanks to the team for a really great insight of what to expect with Reasonable Crash Out. You can catch the show when it plays at Lion and Unicorn Theatre from Thursdsay 21 to Saturday 23 August.
