Rating
Retelling The Emperor’s New Clothes is an interesting foundation for a new comedy. It could certainly go down the route of aping and skewering modern perceptions of beauty in a trend and algorithm-driven society. That would be quite dry, despite its prescience, so kudos to Baby Lamb Productions for aiming to blow out the cobwebs with an all-out zany catwalk of energy and silliness. If they could pull that off, that’s a much-needed antidote in itself. It just doesn’t quite hang together as a full production, which is not to say it’s not a perfectly fine idea for a night out.
The original story is not adapted much – fashionista Ze Emperor is in need of a new idea to halt a series of flops. In step two French con artists flaunting their ‘nu fabric’ and its fabled ability to determine who is cool and who is a fool, depending on whether you can perceive it. Let’s say when Ze Emporer (Jacob Baird) decides to be the only model to debut the material – it’s another flop – except perhaps for phallic prosthetics.
Baird and director/performer Hannah McLeod are the two standout performers and have the best-defined characters. Baird is languid and louche as the prophet-like German fashion guru. He would be problematic as a toxic company-head figure if he weren’t so empty-headed. He is written and behaves as an idiot to everyone except himself. In sympathy with the ‘new clothes’ theme, all of those around him have to sycophantically indulge him at every turn. Hannah McLeod plays Alexa (and one half of the French con double-act), who Ze believes to be advanced technology, not a human. Her highlights include an extended section performing ambient noises at various volumes and speeds as he meditates at one point. This sort of character work and comedy are EXPӦSED at its best. There is more intention and purpose.
Breezing past dubious accents, workplace bullying, and toxic ‘bro’ bosses is fine in the moment, but a lot of the humour is derived from punching down once you stop to think about it. In a story, admittedly comedic, that is laced with issues that in real life are very problematic, it’s not clear if the production wants to address or point to any of them on any level. One of the characters that is bullied for being uncool and boring is the only one who comments on body positivity or fast fashion. Again, not so bad to wave these off jokingly in service of the Comedy Gods, but when elements of the show are not as strong or feel like they are filling time – perhaps leaning in, if only to sneer more perhaps – could have proved more fertile ground. But if the whole show lands for other people, then it’s not as much of a concern.
It’s clear to see there is excellent chemistry and camaraderie between a cast who have worked together before and not just as this production has moved from the Bread & Roses to Canal Cafe and now The Lion and Unicorn.
Written by The Company
Directed by Hannah McLeod
EXPӦSED is playing at the Lion & Unicorn until Saturday 21 February
