REVIEW: Séayoncé: She Must Be Hung! @ Spiegeltent

Séayoncé: She Must Be Hung!

Brighton Spiegeltent

Having seen them in the Fringe last year,  I was well up for a night of supernatural queer delight with Séayoncé, the latest enchanting show by rising comedic star Dan Wye at the Spiegeltent. This show is a mad mystical mix of psychic puns and otherworldly humor that will leave you bewitched and roaring with laughter.

Séayoncé herself embodies pure cat-like charm, prowling the stage with a whisker-licking, retractable-claw playfulness that holds the audience in a hypnotic trance. Her talent for teasing and toying with the crowd is nothing short of magical, using audience participation in wonderfully bonkers ways to conjure up action and laughter. With Séayoncé, you’re not just a spectator; you’re a crucial part of the séance, the main focus of their terrific ability to affirm and left glowing, or a tired worn out play thing to be tossed aside with ruthless charm, or both. So confusing, so brilliant.

Adding to this spellbinding spectacle is the “straight” accompanist, the genuinely psychotic musical genius Robyn Herfellow. Herfellow is a delight, offering menace and charm in equal measure, with a touch of the threatening that keeps the audience on edge. Their musical wizardry and perfect comedy timing, complements Séayoncé perfectly, making their dynamic duo a joy to behold. This is divine diabolical drag at its best, ozzineg sassy charm, referencing every camp OTT villain and vintage movie star, but all folded into a unique presentation of believable fleshed out  performers.

This superb show “She Must Be Hung!”, is a deliciously deconstructed witch trial that spirits the audience away to a village in the woods. Here, the audience becomes the village mob, bound together to judge the witch. In this magical setting, Séayoncé transforms the audience into a chorus, backing choir, principal witnesses, and co-mages, making everyone feel like part of the enchanted proceedings.

Séayoncé is more than just a well polished very funny comedy show; it’s a warm-hearted lesson in looking beyond the lazy surface, examining the motives of the nasty voices in the culture wars, and discovering the inner power that all Queer people possess: Community.  Together, we are powerful, as long as we embrace the real truth. While the show is rooted in strong political foundations of radical love and acceptance, these messages slide past as sharp as a razor, cleverly wrapped in endless puns, jokes, setups, callbacks, and wonderfully daft and dry wordplay. There’s a delightful full on  bonkers Tim Curry edge to Wye as he allows one of his slow burner terribly corny but utterly clever and delightful puns to slide past those just lickced lips… He is a joy to watch perform, and much as enjoy the performance. His is a sixth sense for comedy!

This show likely has more jokes that land, work, and make you laugh than half the rest of the Fringe combined. This is a master class in filthy innuendo and faux innocence. The audience absolutely adored it, rewarding the performance with a well-earned standing ovation, a moment of proud togetherness and queer joy. Dan and Robyn deserved every bit of their praise. Brighton Spiegeltent loved them.

Séayoncé is rooted in pure joy and the power of love. It’s a night of joyous supernatural chaos you won’t want to miss. This show is an absolute tour de force, brimming with psychic puns and supernatural humor, Queer comedy and put downs to savour,  that will leave you cackling with delight.  With just the odd visit to Brighton you’ll need to go find a ticket to the next set of shows and then get on that broom and settle in for the ride of your cabaret life.

This Friday -24th May , as part of the Weekend of Weird there’s the chance to catch the seriously funny Siblings & Séayoncé: House of Horror guaranteed to leave you in  high spirits.

For more info or to book tickets see the Spiegeltent website here