★★★
Ever seen a show where the characters blast balloons at you with a leaf blower before pouring nacho cheese into plastic tubs strapped to their pelvises? Boy Band is exactly that; a gloriously chaotic hour of improvised songs, slapstick gags and boyband nostalgia that’s as absurd as it is endearing. Created by Michael Kunze, Hugh Edwards and Fergus Shipman, and performed by Kunze and Shipman at The Glitch, it’s a gleefully unhinged show that hits plenty of high notes, even if a story never quite finds its rhythm.
Kunze and Shipman make a strong impression from the start, greeting audience members in character as washed-up pop stars signing autographs for merch. They play Ray JJJ (the J is silent) and Jools Jacuzzi (“because I look warm and inviting, but I’m filthy inside”), boyband members whose third bandmate Hugh has taken a hike despite appearing on the posters they’ve supposedly yet to update. Whether they’re teenage pop stars or fortysomething has-beens clinging to their 90s fame is never quite clear, and remains ambiguous – references to iPhones are as prevalent as being left alone unchaperoned by their mums, and the sheer fact they keep saying “We’re teenagers, like you!” only mystifies us further. Given the context of the show, it hardly matters, as the play continue to parody our preordained idea of boybands in pop culture, with One Direction, N*Sync and the Backstreet Boys all getting a crafty nod.
The duo’s improv skills are excellent, handling a couple of technical hiccups with dextrous humour. Their original songs, like that timeless classic ‘I’m in Love with a Sexbot’, another about flaking on your diet and another about hooking up with your second cousin, are hilarious, leaning into the absurdity of boy band tropes, aided by some inspired prop work: a Häagen-Dazs costume and the aforementioned pots of nacho cheese. The level of audience participation is superbly done, including one unexpectedly touching serenade of an audience member named Nathan (“Nathan, nothing compares to you.”)
The evening occasionally feels like a testing ground for new material rather than a fully formed show. The premise—a two-man boy band missing their third member—has promise, but the piece could benefit from a stronger narrative spine. There’s a flicker of a denouement toward the end, suggesting a clash between the two, but it doesn’t quite land, leaving the show caught somewhere between Flight of the Conchords and This Is Spinal Tap without quite committing to either. Who actually are these characters? How did they wind up in the business in the first place? How are they coping with life on the other side of the fame? You get snippets of it between the songs but not much to cling to. Perhaps that’s the point, but a clearer story arc, particularly around the absent Hugh, might help turn the piece from a loose sketch show into a more satisfying satire of pop culture nostalgia.
That said, Boy Band is undeniably funny and buoyed by the strong charisma of its performers. Kunze and Shipman are a very funny pair, and their delight in being onstage is infectious. With more structure and commitment to its concept, Boy Band could easily evolve from a fun, freewheeling gig into something truly chart-topping.
Words by James Morton
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