EDINBURGH 2023: Review: THE BEATLES WERE A BOYBAND, Gilded Balloon
The Beatles Were A Boyband runs until 27 August
The Beatles Were A Boyband by F-Bomb Theatre was a 2022 Edinburgh hit and won a Fringe First award. The show has returned for the second half of the 2023 festival.
Violet, Daisy and Heather are flatmates. Heather is a very cynical character and has great disdain for Daisy’s choices to work as a social media influencer/weight loss tea promoter. There are a few arguments about what to watch, Heather thinking she’s above the likes of Twilight and insists that sort of thing is for teenage girls. As her flatmates point out- it was teenage girls who discovered the Beatles.
News breaks of a young woman that has been murdered and this seems to have a particularly strong effect on Daisy. She takes to her live feed to express her horror about what has happened and loses half of her followers and starts to get nasty and threatening comments.
One of the remarks in the show as the action centres around the women’s flat is that Gilmore Girls isn’t a proper show, it’s just people talking fast with pop culture references. I’m not sure if this is self-awareness at play here because that’s quite similar to what The Beatles Were A Boyband is. Throwaway comments about Taylor Swift being an artist genius, Love Island, Grey’s Anatomy and is Bridesmaids the greatest comedy of all time?
Having seen and loved F-bomb’s work before I found this particular show to be a slight disappointment. The writing feels a bit lazy as feminist slogans from memes and protest placards are shoehorned into the script. The subject matter should be hard-hitting but the writing lessens the impact.
Another subject that is lightly touched on is a disregard for women’s health, male doctors insisting that coil procedures are ‘just uncomfortable’ and dismissing patients' concerns.
Daisy is determined to make social change and make the streets safer for women but when this has no impact, her flatmates beg her to stop as she’s making them feel unsafe as their home is targeted.
The Beatles Were A Boyband has the best of intentions in highlighting the need for more action from the government with regard to women's safety but it just doesn't quite have the emotional effect that it should.
Get Broadway News on WhatsApp
Receive the latest updates, breaking news, and exclusive coverage from Broadway directly in WhatsApp.
|
Antigone 1989: A Town Hall Musical Gilded Balloon Patter House (8/05-8/29) |
|
Elvis in Chaos Lime Studio at Greenside @ George Street (8/07-8/15) |
|
They’re Just Small Town (Northern) Lads Summerhall (8/06-8/16) |
|
A Queer Little Murder Gilded Balloon Patter House (8/05-8/30) |
|
Burce Tutku Tuncali: Perfectly ımperfeckt! Greenside Venues @ George Street , Ivy Studio (8/17-8/22) |
|
Mark Thomas: 40 In Stand Up Years The Stand 1 (8/05-8/30) |
|
Threesome Braw Venues @ Hill Street Theatre (8/07-8/16) |
|
The Business Man and The Case of M. Valdemar Greenside Venue @ Riddles Court (Willow Studio) – Venue 16 - 322 Lawnmarket, Edinburgh EH1 2PG (8/07-8/28) |
|
Couplet: Folk Marry Kill Assembly George Square (8/05-8/30) |
|
Revelation theSpace @ Niddry Street (8/08-8/13) |
Reader Reviews
To post a comment, you must register and login.