Theatre Review: Fanboy, Tobacco Factory Theatres

Summary

Rating: ★★★★★

Running Dates: 7 September 2023 - 8 September 2023

Where to see it: Tobacco Factory Theatres 

Duration: 65 minutes (No interval) 

Keywords: Nostaglia, Biographical, Star Wars, Geek/ Nerd Culture

Review

Joe walks on stage in a purple almost dressing gown like jacket, a superman t-shirt peaking out from underneath. His hood is up and he steps up to the microphone. What comes next is the story of his childhood, his influences, his passions and his hobbies and how they influenced his teen years, twenties and beyond. 

As someone who grew up as an outsider Joe is so easy to relate to, he expressly guides us through his life growing up loving Donkey Kong, Star Wars and War Hammer. He holds the audience's attention all whilst standing alone on stage in a replica of his childhood bedroom, complete with an old style boxy TV, VCR and games to boot!

With a plethora of surprising elements (we shan’t ruin the surprise!) Joe guides us through the emotions and experiences of an age where the internet is just taking root in society and sequels and prequels are beginning to stack up and create die hard fans. (He does also mention Die Hard as Christmas film, we’re on the fence with that one!) 

He references politics, new relationships, falling out of touch with friends and hard life moments all with an engaging narrative that is just so easy to relate to. 

Yaz, who is the man behind the scenes, expertly controles audio and visual elements feeding into the seamless dialogue Joe portrays. 

Overall a must see for any nerdy folks in their thirties who want to laugh, relate and feel experience and hour or so of nostalgia.

See if: You love geek culture, biographical stories and have an intense love of Star Wars :P

Last Impression: Don’t be swayed by societal norms, stay true to what you love and you’ll find people who will share your passions. 

Written by Samantha Marklew