IT HAD to happen sooner or later – one of the most loved and loathed reality TV shows given a postmodern lashing on the stage. And here it is, in all its camp musical glory. Most of the key elements of the Channel 4 programme are here – pumped- up so
undtrack, self-obsessed housemates, public voting and an over-excited Davina to announce the winner. Best of all, the Geordie voiceover bloke tells us the time and encourages us to vote for the least obnoxious person.
It's day 364 in the Big Brother house, and the five remaining contestants have woken to find themselves relocated to a musical – a low-budget one at that, as they discover when the Jacuzzi is replaced by a Clairol Foot Spa. They're a fairly one-dimensional bunch: Jonny the egomaniac who longs for pop stardom; posh Portia, a bikini-clad hotty dreaming of appearing in "Luke Warm Magazine"; hip-hop homeboy Geography, whose every word needs translating; the house idiot, Di (clearly based on Jade Goody) and anatomically ambiguous Terri, with large breasts and an unexplained lump in her trousers.
Sharp comic acting, witty one-liners and hilarious song lyrics combine to make this infinitely more entertaining than the TV show. It also makes some intelligent comments about the programme's unscrupulous editing, the power-crazy producers and the psychological impact it has on the contestants. And despite its 3pm slot, it is filled with a strictly post-watershed kind of humour.
Until 25 Aug. Today 3pm
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