Will BF – repeat alternative comedy awards finalist, and enthusiastic conveyor of nonsense – has put together an absolute masterpiece of an show in Moon Team IIIV (two, for those who really know their Romanic numerales).
Clearly inspired by the greatest space opera epic of all time – Spaceballs: the movie – BF uses the Hollywood mania for sequels, prequels, and reimaginings as a jumping off point for a sketch, character, and multimedia spectacular. This frenetic hour moves beyond parody and towards actually caring about the characters presented, even though all of them are extremely stupid.
This is an ambitious show, both in its beautifully conceived cut scenes and its use of props, sound FXs, and even flash-style games.
Seriously good points are made about good and evil, taxation, and the risk-averse film industry. Female characters are knowingly reduced to mere flim-flam – though you can’t fail the Bechdel Test if you’re not even allowed to talk. The satire, as well as being well-judged throughout, never overwhelms the funny.
The whole thing is so stuffed with love – and jokes – that the audience reaches that beautiful point of laughing so much that they almost need a less funny bit in order to take a break. This is, in the cliched phrase, a very nice problem to have.
It’s Will’s first time doing this show since January, and with such a huge number of tech and FX prompts, some things inevitably go wrong. When they work, it’s hilarious. When they don’t work, it’s hilarious.
There is a Ocean’s Eleven, caper-style element to the narrative, and we see gentle audience participation, as the team is fleshed out with a hacker tech expert and a morally problematic pilot trained on a very murderous approach to the trolley problem.
Worthy of particular mention are Will’s assorted transition gambits. HIs characters involve a lot of costume changes, and the DVD extra-style talking head videos of Moon Team’s creator, SF enthusiast commentators, and just members of the Great British Public are a) all played by Will and b) are beautifully realised and splendidly produced. Instead of lulls, you can feel the audience looking forward to the breaks almost – but, importantly, not quite – as much as the live show itself.
There are some cabaret impedimentia touches, including when Will staggers around as a giraffe-headed villain, unable to see the edge of the performance area – usually not a massive issue, but potentially deadly with The Actors’ high stage.
The improvised elements, too, are beautifully judged, whether it’s Will accidentally eating his own edible prop, or berating an audience member (your correspondent) for both his grammar and the predictability of his suggestions.
Moon Team IIIV should be seen by everyone, everywhere, all the time. It’s a love letter to 1970s / 1980s movies and video games, and 1990s and early 2000s internet culture. To make a niche comparison, there are elements that are similar to MJ Hibbett and Steve’s Moon Horse, but is carried along by its own particular and exceptional energy.
And did I mention, there are also songs?
Reviewed 21st May.
