Writers: Nicola Mantalios and Kerris Gibson
Directors: Nicola Mantalios and Kerris Gibson
The Awakening, by the memorably-named Feminist Cult Agenda, is a riot: high-energy, full of provocation, and infectiously energetic. But like many riots, the underlying message gets a little hard to decipher along the way.
As part of Live Theatre’s Unearthed Festival, which this year specifically aims to showcase talent with a feminist slant, Nicola Mantalios and Kerris Gibson have put together a feminist-themed sketch show full of great one-liners; taking aim at incels, the Bible, and men in general, the show is an exciting debut for the duo. The sketches in The Awakening often attempt to strike a balance between solidarity and slapstick, moving from a moment of heartfelt celebration of female friendship to the total absurdity of a nun who’s lost her nunchuck.
Most of the time, though, the pair lean fully into the absurd. There’s confetti, costumes, and carpet-shopping hip hop galore; conspiracy theorists get meta, and homemade vagina outfits accompany the delivery of a mini-lecture. It is not quite clear, in a lot of the sketches, whether any substance is intended – but what does come across is how much Mantalios and Gibson are enjoying themselves along the way. Much of this is playful, joyful, riotous silliness for its own sake. The show consists, in other words, of a lot of fannying about.
It would be hard not to be caught up in the pair’s enthusiasm for their material. The two have clear comedic chemistry, best demonstrated in the moments of improvisation which often come with the unpredictable nature of a live performance. It is this on-stage presence which makes the multimedia aspect of the show feel slightly over-relied on at times; pre-filmed sketches cover costume changes, but some linger beyond being simply transitions between on-stage sections, and take up a sizeable portion of the show’s overall runtime.
The pre-filmed sketches themselves are varied and interesting, and a sketch involving a hilarious new idea for a bra stands out as a subversive use of absurdity. The whole show flows along with a consistent tone across its many sketches and its multimedia form, and the jokes remain good quality throughout.
Mat Mellor’s appearances, and the work of the collaborators in the filmed sketches, are played with good sportsmanship – the men often end up in humorously undignified states across this show – and complement Mantalios and Gibson’s energy well.
This is a sketch show in both senses of the word: the Feminist Cult Agenda have compiled a fresh and inventive mix of short comedy scenes, but those scenes do mostly come across as loose frames made of one-liners, waiting for some more colour and texture to flesh them out. Those looking for a feminist statement piece might not find what they’re looking for here; but as a night out, there is plenty to love in the witty, daft, and rude Awakening.
Reviewed on 3 July 2026
The Reviews Hub Star Rating
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7
