To finish the Fringe with something truly Brighton, we headed to local celebrity Guy Lloyd’s one-man show at The Warren. This was the second of two shows at the Fringe, both of which sold out.
“Radio blah blah” follows Guy’s journey from a baby to Brighton’s best-loved radio presenter. It explores the highs and lows of 13 years on Juice FM, his performance on X-factor as Vince Venus, and ends with a group sing-along. This intimate show served well as a heartfelt farewell to local radio station Juice, which was shut down after a buy out by Global. It was also a funny exploration of Guy’s life and provided a conclusive end to our experience of this year’s Fringe.
The show was filled with all of Guy’s favourite things, his hair, comedy, celebrities, and an acknowledgment the narcissism that comes with being well-known. To a viewer who didn’t already know Guy, or Juice FM, the show could have been perceived as overly egotistical, but he carefully acknowledged this and was able to continuously bring himself back down to reality with jabs of self-deprecating humour. It was through the curation of this constant balancing act that Guy was able to excel in engaging with the audience. Those that didn’t already know him were able to laugh with him, and those that did know him were able to laugh at him, all joining in with the humour of not taking oneself too seriously.
This shared sense of the joy about being nonchalant and having a good laugh about life was highlighted in Guys retelling of his performance as alter-ego, gold-catsuit wearing Vince Venus, on the X-factor, who was buzzed off faster than any previous contestant.
Whilst weaving in these anecdotes alongside an exploration of his personality and personal journey, Guys performance primarily focused on his experience as a local radio presenter. The show ran through his first days at Juice, the pranks he pulled and the people he met on the way, and portrayed his delight in local people and local news, through a sharing of stories such as the time did Reiki on a mentally disturbed parrot live on air. His show depicted the joy of local radio and created a space where the audience could share the importance of a community spirit and keeping things local, which was made especially tangible by the fact that many of his colleagues from Juice were in the audience.
This was a full, uncut story of Guy’s experience in Brighton. Guy managed to display an exploration of loss, grief and love in a witty and engaging context. The show ended with a group-sing-along to “We Are The Champions”, which left created a buzz of excitement as the audience closed to door to the Fringe, and celebrated a proper farewell to Juice FM.
A hilarious one-man show that revels in the joy of doing what you love.
