Review: How To Save The World Without Really Trying

Flamboyant doesn’t even begin to cover Bourgeois and Maurice’s performance. Self-described as drag aliens singing about politics, it was a captivating show from beginning to end. Wowed by costumes simply drowning in sequins, the audience gets 75 minutes of musical madness from this ‘sibling’ duo. As the audience, we are referred to as humansexuals (that is the right spelling), which was just the beginning of the whimsical extravaganza we were in for.

The script was devilishly cynical and half the time what we were all thinking (or guilty of doing). The show starts with a reminder of human laziness in the face of major issues in the world. Most of us have signed an online petition or posted on Facebook giving our thoughts and prayers to the victims of the latest disaster, saving the world from the comfort of our smartphones and laptops — does that really help anyone?

Bourgeois and Maurice had seamless transitions into original songs that were darkly patriotic and also damning to British values. Maurice on keys was fantastic! With no music in front of her and a hilarious ‘am I bothered?’ attitude, she was a wonderful contrast to the camp-tastic character of Bourgeois. Impressively, the singing and harmonies stayed tight regardless of whether Bourgeois was tap dancing or strutting into the audience.

They planned to save the world with a piano, sequins and a touch of light mascara (if you describe light mascara as the most extravagant fake eyelashes I’ve ever seen!). They may not have quite saved the entire world, but certainly provided joy and laughter to a packed theatre. Just when you thought you’d heard the craziest of the songs, there was another and another! A personal favourite being the ‘love song’ that compared love to the way we all feel about our smartphones.

Never a dull moment in the show, with the pair being interrupted by themselves on FaceTime and later hacked by a virus of their multiple personalities. There was a delightful feeling that the audience were constantly in on the jokes, as little skits in between the songs were so well timed that it was hard to imagine them being scripted. Everything from the 'off stage adult baby' to take care of as an excuse for a costume change, and Maurice appearing with her trombone for the finale of the show, was so wonderfully streamlined and so politically incorrect, an absolute joy to watch! The so- called neo-cabaret had psychedelic, soulful vibes that Bowie himself would have been proud of. A unique and wonderful performance.