Stage: Ready for his closeup

Zach Zucker:
Spectacular Industry Showcase
with live music by Lucas Tamaren
Soho Theatre, London • 17-21.Jan.23

After glowing reviews on the Edinburgh Fringe, Zach Zucker brings his frenetic one-man show to London for a brief, riotous run. The jokes are fast and ridiculous, and not quite as rude as he thinks they are, especially for a lubricated late-night Soho crowd. But his boyish charm is so engaging that it's difficult not to fall in love with Zach as he does pretty much everything he can to win us over.

As his self-created myth goes, Zach has been working in show business in Los Angeles for 11 years, and he's now ready for stardom at age 16. Can he be the first bisexual Jew to make it in Hollywood? He certainly thinks so, diving into a freeform series of audition pieces that demonstrate his skills at acting, singing, dancing and improvisation. He also bares his soul, promises to sleep with everyone, and shows himself willing to do or say the unthinkable to get a laugh.

Essentially a hyperactive clown, Zucker has a fabulous physicality, diving into each humorous bit with gusto and interacting with the audience using a mix of biting wit and knowing warmth. Much of his material is blissfully absurd, especially as he segues from one random theme to the next, diving into a variety of alter-egos who perform with songs, poetry and rap in their own silly voices. This is a performer who isn't embarrassed to embrace a gleefully stupid joke, and when one doesn't work he moves so swiftly on to the next one that it's dazzling.

Of course, there's a very strong whiff of desperation in the character Zucker is playing on stage, and it's this vulnerability that makes the show much more than just an hour of frantic mayhem. His interaction with musician Lucas Tamaren brings several clever surprises along the way, adding even more layers to Zucker's self-aware performance. So even if he perhaps wants stardom a bit too much, it's impossible not to hope that he gets a shot at it.

photos by Dylan Woodley • 17.Jan.23