Review: I’ll be Back, The Glitch

I’ll Be Back is billed as a Terminator parody, but it’s really a loving homage to the first two films in the franchise, written and performed by the excellent Justine Malone at the warm and always welcoming Waterloo venue, The Glitch.

Confession time: although I’m fairly sure I once saw the first Terminator film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger as the eponymous time traveller, most of the references here had to be hastily verified on Wikipedia. That lack of knowledge didn’t stop me enjoying I’ll Be Back one bit – and nor did it faze my companion, who didn’t even realise it was based on the first two films in the long-running franchise. The show is described as “an action-packed 60 minutes of apocalyptic devastation, robotic transformation, emotional reunion, and how a plan formed in Blockbusters can save the world”, and it comfortably delivers on all of that and then some.

Malone appears in full Sarah Connor (again, see Wikipedia) mode – all black, tight-fitting, big-booted and ready for action. Armed with no props apart from a lab coat and a leather jacket à la Arnie, she tells the story of a terminator sent back in time to stop Judgement Day and avert the end of the world. While the films are set in 1980s Los Angeles, I’ll Be Back relocates the action to Dudley in the heart of the Black Country in 1997 and 2026 (I think – I did get a little lost in the space-time continuum at one point). Malone’s accent seals the deal as she seamlessly switches between characters including her boss at Cyberdyne Systems, a lab technician and her brother.

There’s huge physicality here, with Malone hurling herself around the space with fearless abandon as well as throwing dance moves to a soundtrack of thumping ’90s electronica. Cultural references come thick and fast – music, TV, films, even the ceremonial eating (and rejecting) of a Werther’s Original. And as there are computers that must be destroyed, there’s some genuinely inspired interaction with Clippy, the much-maligned and mercifully short-lived Windows 95 helper as the software goes haywire – although I did miss a visit from the dreaded blue screen of death.

I’ll Be Back is very much a collaborative effort. Malone is supported by directors Ezra Dobson, Emma Webb and Alex Coke, who keep the audience fully engaged throughout the tight 60 minutes. Lighting design from Nina Morgan (who also operates all the tech) is excellent and the sound design is also handled by Malone herself. Rory Wildman’s video design – particularly in the Clippy sequences – is smart and playful, with Malone once again pulling double (or is that quadruple) duty. Is there anything she can’t do?

There’s no doubt that Millennials (AKA Generation Y) and Terminator fans will get a lot out of I’ll Be Back but I’m neither and I still thought it was a splendid piece of work. This is an energetic labour of love and Malone deserves serious credit for bringing it to life.

Written by Justine Malone
Directed by Ezra Dobson, Emma Webb & Alex Coke
Lighting Design by Nina Morgan
Sound Design by Justine Malone
Video Design by Rory Wildman & Justine Malone

I’ll Be Back plays at The Glitch until Monday 19 January.