Theatre News

Help Amy Lamé celebrate at Contact

Comedienne and Duckie host Amy Lamé welcomes to Manchester to her Unhappy Birthday party. Her guest of honour is my favourite pop star, the Smiths frontman and cult global superstar , Morrissey…and her other guests – you, the audience – will be are offered makeovers in his iconic style – complete with quiff, hearing aid, gladioli and plasters.

While you wait for Morrissey’s arrival, it becomes apparent that this is a celebration coming apart at the seams…

A place is set for Morrissey at the table…he’s running late…will he arrive clutching a bunch of flowers and a bottle of plonk? Will he bother to turn up at all? In the meantime Amy prepares a vegetarian buffet and entertain my guests. A glamorous female balloonist sculpts portraits of Morrissey with inflatable quiff. She launches into a raucous ukulele rendition of “You’re the One For Me Fatty”, a sculptured cake depicting Lame & Morrissey is brought in blazing with candles, and a quiz show with “Mozz-e-oke” round and prizes pops up. So far, so cheesy. But beneath the celebration is a part true, part imagined twisted tale of fatness, pop obsession, and blame.

The show explores issues around the cult of celebrity and obsessive pop fandom, fat and body fascism, victimhood, and litigation culture. A personal narrative blurring the lines between fiction and reality,  it has sound, film, social networking, live music, a pop quiz show and lots of snacks.

Written and performed by Amy Lamé, co founder and host of legendary club night and Olivier award winning performance collective Duckie. Amy’s performing credits include appearances at the Royal Festival Hall, Royal Vauxhall Tavern, Royal Albert Hall, Blackpool Tower Ballroom, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Soho Theatre, The Powerhouse (Brisbane), Hebden Bridge Working Men’s Club, and Burnley’s Turf Moor football ground. Amy is also an accomplished journalist, tv and radio presenter. She co-produced and hosted the seminal performance installation  The World’s First Homosexual Stephen Patrick Morrissey Convention at the ICA way back in 1994. Needless to say, she’s a little bit of a Morrissey fan.

Directed by Scottee, Artistic Director of Eat Your Heart Out collective and solo performer. He has performed at some of the worlds most prestigious galleries & theatres including Tates Britain & Modern; ICA; Whitechapel; Royal Festival Hall; Royal Opera House and Roundhouse. Scottee won the title of TimeOut Performer of the Year 2010. This will be the first show Scottee directs outside his own collective. Oh, and his mum used to be Morrissey’s cleaner.

Amy Lamé is at Contact on Fri 29th July and you can also help fund the show here.