Amy Lamé’s Unhappy Birthday (Tour – Manchester)

Spectacle-wearing Morrissey obsessive Amy Lamé invites you to come and celebrate her Unhappy Birthday, complete with party hats, party poppers and real corn-based snacks from ASDA.

Amy is an unusual hostess: one minute she’s jumping around giggling and yelling “F-U-N, right?!”, the next she’s regressed into teenage angst and is cutting off her own hair, but the familiar stages her party passes through – over-excitement, over-indulging, and getting irate when your friend steals your party popper – can be recognised by all (or at least most) of us.

Be warned that there’s nowhere to hide as the audience joins in for a less-than-traditional round of pass the parcel (Amy will spot you a mile off if you try to pass it on too quickly).  In this game, there’s a forfeit – and, naturally, a Morrissey song – for every layer. Guess the Weight of the Cake combines nicely with “You’re the One for Me, Fatty”, and “I Like You” involves a lot of lipstick and a very brave member of the audience. 

Morrissey maniac Amy can tell us exactly how she and the singer are connected in a number of ways – he used to live in London too, don’t you know – but as the show continues, his reserved seat remains disappointingly empty. Is he ever going to show up?

Amy’s birthday party continues on tour before heading up to the Assembly at the Edinburgh Fringe this August. If you’re attending the festival, I strongly encourage you to RSVP.

– Harriet Judd