Oh My Pain, My Beautiful Pain! // Acid’s Reign – The Pleasance Theatre, London

A Pleasance Theatre double bill of Oh My Pain, My Beautiful Pain! and Acid’s Reign, two very different productions as part of Relish Theatre’s Regeneration Season which nonetheless add up to an exhilarating evening of hard-hitting themes wrapped in inventive drag and cabaret packages.

A Double Bill at the Pleasance Theatre, London

It’s been a great week at the Salterton Arts Review for innovative, musical, drag and cabaret-inspired theatre. We first had Miss Brexit at the Omnibus Theatre in Clapham. And today we’re in North London at the Pleasance Theatre for a double bill from Relish Theatre. Oh My Pain, My Beautiful Pain! and Acid’s Reign are together 2/3 of Relish Theatre’s Regeneration Season, celebrating the LGBTQ experience. A third production, Puppy, takes to the King’s Head Theatre stage in April.

But the opportunity to see two productions from one season as a double bill intrigued me. What would unite them? Where would they differ? A sort of compare-and-contrast, if you will. In the event, the idea of compare and contrast actually fits the bill quite well. The compare: both productions deal with serious subjects using humour, connecting with audiences and keeping them on their toes by always going in unexpected directions. The contrast: one is definitely the more surreal of the two, and while one delves deeply into a very personal space, the other tries to get us on board with saving the whole world.

So without further ado, let’s get stuck in. With just a final word from me: do get along to the Pleasance Theatre if you can and make an evening of it. It’s one of the friendliest theatres in London in my experience, the cabaret-style seating is fun, and you can order in pizza before or after shows. What’s not to love? Just be warned: if you get a front row seat, maybe consider one of those plastic ponchos? Or some sort of eco-friendly alternative? More on this in a bit.

Oh My Pain, My Beautiful Pain!

A sentient laptop. Pride and Prejudice with a pig. Lampooning powerful men and their “apologies” before ending in a shower of confetti. Ted Talks (or TedX, anyway). Drag. Exercise Balls. Fabulous costumes incorporating Goya’s Black Paintings (costume design by Daniel Hall). Pulling all of these together into just one 90 minute show takes a real “hold on to your butts” level of enthusiasm and trust in the audience to come along for the ride.

In Oh My Pain, My Beautiful Pain!, writer and performer Evie Fehilly considers trauma in art. Our collective expectation that artists will mine it for what is ‘true’ and ‘powerful’ and ‘meaningful’, and what happens when someone either doesn’t want to do that, or when the trauma that’s become their currency runs out. It’s based on real experience of confronting just this question. Pre-pandemic, Fehilly had written a work that drew on trauma in her own life. Picking it up again some time later, she wondered whether she really wanted to put herself through this. Creating work based on trauma promises healing, but at the same time requires constantly accessing and living in that trauma.

Natalia, the main character of Oh My Pain, My Beautiful Pain, certainly discovers this. First acclaimed for her ‘brave’ and healing autobiographical work, she finds she’s become a one-trick pony. As much as she wants to move on, it’s what everyone expects of her, now. Only she used up all that trauma the first time around. Natalia, increasingly desperate, looks for solutions. How far can she push her partner Matts (John-Luke Roberts)? What about student mentee Dani (Posey Mehta)? Surely she’s got some good trauma locked away?

A Serious Subject Can Still Be Silly, Right?

This is a really important topic in the creative industries, which Fehilly does not make light of, but approaches with a lot of humour and fun. The two coexist surprisingly well. Roberts and Mehta also take on other roles, including alternating as Evie. Because this is also something of a play within a play, thanks to that sentient laptop. I loved that feeling of being pulled along by the power of storytelling, never quite knowing what was coming next. The Russell Brand bit is far funnier than the original Russell Brand. I have to say again how much I loved the costumes because I really did. And a little bit of audience interaction keeps things fresh. It’s as benign as collectively holding some bunting. And as spicy as… well I won’t ruin the surprise but, front row audiences, if you don’t bring a poncho don’t say you weren’t warned.

What really struck me, watching Oh My Pain, My Beautiful Pain! was how in control Fehilly is, even as the narrative becomes increasingly out of control. Performing a work about choosing not to perform work about your trauma is presumably a hard line to walk. But Fehilly employs various talents: drag and clowning, mostly, to make it possible. The contortions the storyline goes through feel like a proxy for the hoops artists jump through, for funding, for producers, for audiences. And the particular trauma-based hoops disproportionately affect historically marginalised communities, whether that be women, the LGBTQ community, or other minorities (see for instance the Black Joy movement which, in theatre, reclaims the right to tell joyous stories as well as traumatic ones).

Are we going off on a tangent? Maybe. Would Fehilly approve? Maybe: should I include more pigs? Or penises? The only solution really is not to take my word for it but to go and see it for yourself. Oh My Pain, My Beautiful Pain! can’t quite be described in words, but deserves a wide and enthusiastic audience. Relish Theatre’s season is off to a great start.

Salterton Arts Review’s rating: 5/5

Oh My Pain, My Beautiful Pain! on until 1 March 2025. More info and tickets here.

Acid’s Reign

A brief interlude in the busy Pleasance Theatre bar, then, before we head back in for the second part of this double bill. Acid’s Reign, a new musical with book and lyrics by Luke Howarth and Evie Fehilly, composition and arrangements by Gabriel Chernick, all based on a play by James McDermott and an original idea by James McDermott and Rob Ellis. Still following? It’s also got a live band (Gabriel Chernick is also Musical Director). And Luke Howarth directs. There are a lot of talented people in the Relish Theatre orbit.

Acid’s Reign is also a play within a play, a climate change cabaret which is as much about what happens behind the scenes as the marvellous drag acts themselves. And, going back to the compare-and-contrast, is another technique for approaching a serious topic in a fun and entertaining way, without making light of it. Acid’s Reign is about a climate change show that is a labour of love for Alex Acid (Joshua Oakes-Rogers) and Ria Listic (Gigi Zahir) and their friends Micky (Sé Carr/Jamie Fuxx) and Olive (Ash Weir). But when Alex applies for funding to take their show to the next level everything seems to go wrong, starting with the arrival of Dina Mite (Scarlett Harlett).

The question Acid’s Reign poses is an interesting – and a complex – one. How far should you bend your principles in order to increase your reach? Do you make more of a difference by holding onto your integrity, or by reaching a bigger audience? And also, importantly, where can I find sexy history lessons on drag kings?

What Are You Feeling Smug About Today?

I’ve said before that, as someone with a lot of climate anxiety, I appreciate theatremakers who come at the topic sideways to help me engage with it. I can’t stop countries and corporations and private jet owners from further ruining the environment. Very scary! But I can watch a drag cabaret about friendship and climate change, and think about the changes I have influence over. Recycle that apple core! Cycle to work! Less scary!

Acid’s Reign get audiences on board with the (apple) core of their message pretty gently, actually. This is achieved in a few ways – having characters who are really passionate about this message, not shying away from the difficulties and tensions, and some nice original songs that empower us to think about our own contributions rather than the enormity of the problem.

It’s also a great show full stop. Caitlin Mawhinney is behind the costume design this time, and does a great job establishing each drag queen and king’s persona. The lighting by Catja Hamilton is excellent. And the performances are, too. It’s not lost on me that Scarlett Harlett, whose character is brought in as a ‘name’ to increase ticket sales, is given similar mention for this show as a former contestant from RuPaul’s Drag Race UK. But Harlett brings real heart to what could easily just be a villainous role. Weir is a scene-stealer, and gives a virtuoso patter song performance. Carr similarly gets a lot out of a supporting role. But it’s the relationship between Alex Acid and Ria Listic which is the heart of the show, as reflected in Oakes-Rogers and Zahir’s performances. You won’t want to miss the final number by Zahir.

So there we go. Two shows that in some ways couldn’t be more different, but are a perfect double bill. What a revelation from Relish Theatre, and a celebration indeed of the LGBTQ experience. Don’t miss them.

Salterton Arts Review’s rating: 5/5

Acid’s Reign on until 1 March 2025. More info and tickets here.