A cautionary tale about shoddy journalismSummary
Rating
Good
In the age of fake news, AI-generated content and misinformation, Monstering the Rocketman stands as a caution against irresponsible journalism. At the beginning of the show, writer Henry Naylor warns us, saying that not everything we’re about to hear is true, much like the Sun’s articles.
Naylor excitedly takes us through the 1980s and tells the story of Elton John suing the newspaper for libel, when editor Kelvin MacKenzie and news editor Tom Petrie printed salacious lies about him, involving rent boys. Throughout the show, odious headlines appear on the projection screen behind him, containing homophobic, sensationalist, and ridiculous claims.
The most absurd allegation about Elton was that he cut out his dogs’ voice boxes because their barking annoyed him. “Mystery of Elton’s silent dogs” flashes up on the screen as Naylor, playing Elton’s mother, delicately asks her son if were true. Although funny at first, it’s tinged with dark irony as you realise that this was a genuine headline that the Sun printed.
Naylor is an excellent and engaging storyteller. He wears one costume: trousers, a shirt and a tie, but when he shifts between different characters, the lighting changes. When he channels MacKenzie, shouting, raging, and calling his employees “cunts” left, right and centre, the stage is flooded with red. It may not be the most innovative decision, but it works well.
Monstering the Rocketman concludes with what feels like an obvious moral, but one worth repeating. Naylor warns us about retweets and reminds us to tread carefully on the internet. He tells the audience, “truth is a commodity to be sold”, a reality that sadly defines our times.
Written by Henry Naylor
Monstering the Rocketman runs at Pleasance Dome until Sunday 24 August.
