Presented by Vicious Fish Theatre
@ Jahz, 4 Cinema Pl (Off Rundle St)
THURSDAY 8 March (until March 17)
With a sell-out season at the Melbourne Fringe already under his belt, I was sure that Rob Lloyd’s one man show about his obsession with Doctor Who would be good – I just wasn’t sure what to expect. How exactly does one man investigate whether his obsession with Doctor Who has rendered him a socially unfit human being, or shaped him into a well-rounded member of society…without the audience being thoroughly bored?
Whatever I was expecting, Who, Me (directed by Scott Gooding) exceeded my expectations. The majority of the show (after a little bit of a time–warp at the beginning) involved a court case playing out in the mind of Rob Lloyd, to determine whether his Doctor Who obsession has been helpful or harmful. Rob played himself, the prosecution and the number of witnesses, as well as occasionally breaking that mystical fourth wall to fill in any gaps for the audience. He took us from the very first time he discovered Doctor Who at the age of 17, told us about his favourite Doctor, and showed us a ridiculous amount of photos of himself dressed up as the 10th Doctor (David Tennant) at various conventions, before finishing with an interpretive dance, which seems to be the theme of one-man shows at the Fringe this year.
The rapid lines of dialogue were not all Doctor Who references, and the jokes were not all Doctor Who related. My favourite one of the night included describing something as “deader than Sean Bean in every role he’s even been in.” Another hilarious highlight was a David Attenbourgh-style segment where we watched Rob Lloyd act out a day in the life of typical Doctor Who fan, before moving on to describe the dynamics of a nerd party. Lloyd is an energetic and skilled performer, not afraid to make fun of the highs and lows of his Doctor Who obsession, all the while keeping the audience thoroughly entertained.
As a modern, mild Whovian, I enjoyed the show and managed to keep just on top of the in-jokes and references, including one about reading a Gallifreyan newspaper. The crowd was a blend of those who could probably remember watching Doctor Who on TV when it first aired in the 60s, and those who may only have experience with the more recent re-vamp of the show (bow ties are cool). This is the audience that will get the most enjoyment out of the show, although Lloyd’s energy and stellar delivery may be enough to keep those without any Doctor Who knowledge interested as well. Lloyd takes us on what is essentially a personal journey, and audience members will find themselves reflecting on their own life-long obsession, whether it be Whovian in nature or not.
All in all this is a fun, energetic show which fans of Doctor Who should definitely see…and maybe even drag their non-believer friend along as well. It may just bring you closer together.
Who, Me is playing at Jahz, 4 Cinema Pl, until Saturday the 17th of March.
