REVIEW | Frankie Thompson & Liv Ello: Body Show
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Reviewer - Bronagh
*Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in return for an honest review
The audience of Body Show enters the theatre to be greeted by Liv Ello in a tux, hair slicked back and Frankie Thompson in a floor-length pink dress, a remix of Barbie Girl blaring through the speakers. Barbenheimer continues! They are frozen in their poses on top of a synthetic wedding case, the perfect cake toppers, ready to deliver a phenomenal show.
Body Show explores body dysmorphia, gender dysmorphia and gendered expectations, using spoken word, lip-synching and videos. Snippets of pop culture are embedded throughout – ‘What a sad little life Jane’, Andrew Tate spouting some nonsense and a shocking moment where an X Factor contestant is told to lose weight – contributors to issues with body image and the toxicity of this. Using these snippets along with lip-syncing and using videos builds a production that is very relevant, very thought provoking and very moving. Topics that need to be talked about are explored with no boundaries.
I saw Body Show described as ‘a cheese dream’ and I can’t think of anything more apt. The frenzied, sketch like sections are certainly dream-like. Seeing Liv in a rubber muscle suit lip-syncing to Andrew Tate was surreal, and like something that you would likely dream about after hitting the cheddar before bedtime! I absolutely loved the delivery of Body Show, combining laugh out loud moments, surreal moments, and shocking moments, such as hearing child star Lena Zavaroni talking about being ‘chubby’.
Liv and Frankie are an extremely talented partnership. No two ways about it!
They are both so versatile, pinging between lip-synching as TV stars, challenging the audience to rock paper scissors and facial expressions that I didn’t even think were possible! Bravo to this wonderfully dark duet.
Overall, I found Body Show to be incredible, very moving, and not afraid to show vulnerabilities. The topics explored are very current and are being talked about more and more, Liv and Frankie have created a standout show that deserves plenty of success.
At Soho Theatre until 14 Oct 2023.
