Byron Lane stars in his own show as Walt, a dorky young American lad who is in the midst of a suicide attempt after breaking up with his boyfriend when Tilda Swinton appears in his apartment.
Tom Lenk, best know for his role in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, plays a drag Tilda Swinton and brings huge amounts of natural comedy to the role.
After Tilda finds the depressed man on Craigslist, he decides to reply to his ad. He arrives in his apartment to dissect his life for a character study ahead of his next movie role. It’s raucously silly and hugely over-the-top but creates an hour of light, camp humour. When Tilda appears like a mystic creature in a cacophony of white netting, her presence certainly fills the stage.
Tilda Swinton is a fascinating character. The actor once she slept in a glass box for a week as part of an art installation – you genuinely couldn’t have written it. Tom Lenk brilliantly pokes fun at Tilda and other iconic actors. The jibe at Eddie Redmayne had the audience howling with laughter. Lane and Lenk work superbly together as Lenk’s expressive stage presence clashes excellently with Lane’s awkwardness.
There are moments where it takes a while to get into the the humour and some scenes drag a bit. But overall it’s a great comedy that certainly doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s a modern comedy that’s both completely absurd but flamboyantly funny.
★★★
Tilda Swinton Answers an Ad on Craigslist is on at Edinburgh Fringe at Piccolo at 21:00.
