Writer and Director: Tim McArthur
It’s the most wonderful time of the year: Eurovision is back. As a warm-up to the main event, you could do little better than the very silly and endearing Eurovision: Your Decision, a comedy competition combining Eurovision classics with a great deal of camp flair.
Hosted by RP-accented Katie (Lucy Penrose) and ambiguously European Demetrius (Tim McArthur), we go through a 15-song jaunt through Eurovision history, from recent viral hit Think About Things to winning songs like Johnny Logan’s Hold Me Now and bizarre glories such as Dancing Lasha Tumbai. The audience ultimately decides which will be the winner, which is then performed in full as a closer, followed with a Waterloo chaser: how better to spend a Sunday afternoon?
All are realised by an exceptionally talented cast of singers who are also adept at the comedy bits: Steven Serlin’s overly-lipped impression of Logan is a highlight, as is Leigh Pollard’s frustrated Nicole (A Little Peace). Penrose and McArthur also feature in the majority of songs, the latter has a wonderful time in various forms of drag alongside writing and directing the show. Sonia-as-Cilla is inspired.
If any of the above names mean little to you, it may be difficult to access the show: this is a performance for Eurovision die-hards, which means that not all of the jokes land as many depend on your ability to recall the original performance in order to appreciate the satire. If, for instance, you don’t know Celine Dion’s iconic outfit from her performance for Switzerland that sequence might not be as comical; alternatively, Dancing Lasha Tumbai is funny for the reasons it was always funny.
Some of the comedy could be pushed further to make it accessible for all, but McArthur has chosen a mixture of songs that stands up on their own regardless of how well you know the originals, and ones that are funny in and of themselves. The commitment of the cast also carries you through, even in a slightly overlong voting sequence.
An endearingly silly and excessively strong vocally Eurovision treat, McArthur has created a show that pays loving tribute to the conventions of Eurovision (bizarre dances, catchy tunes, hosts with less than zero chemistry and seemingly insane regional representatives) by sending them up mercilessly. Mixing a Eurovision sketch show with a sprinkling of the competition’s most famous songs, it functions as a primer for this year’s competition and a fun night out. Not for Eurovision novices, but for those of us who know all the words to Scooch’s Flying the Flag, there’s little better seasonal entertainment. Viva Eurovision: Your Decision!
Runs until 13 May 2023, then tours to Liverpool and Brighton
