Slay is the latest outpouring from the very warped, weird, and hilariously funny, Twins Macabre. These delightful ‘ten-year-old’ serial killers have found fame and fortune – glorified by the British gutter press and celebrated on social media alike. Billed as; ‘Comedy. Horror and Sass’, there is more sass than horror and more comedy than you can shake a bloodied Action Man / Barbie / Gender-fluid doll at. Maurice (Adam Rhys-Davies) and Ivy (Nic Lamont) Macabre are twins with a violent history, killing their parents in a freak show fire, but now they’ve found their ticket to fame, performing at their version of the O2 – the Vault Festival.
If you like your comedy dark, it cannot be much darker than the blackened-wit of these adorable, yet horrifying, tykes, Maurice and Ivy Macabre. Opening the show, the twins get high on their drugs of choice, Red Bull (Ivy) and Ribena (Maurice) – a sign, if any, that havoc waits to be wreaked. What follows is difficult to describe; a cabaret or comedy show with elements of theatre thrown in and audience participation in the form of ‘Hugh Grant’, ‘Margaret Thatcher’, and a very decent impersonation of Ed Shearing – using both twins – the staging of this effect is truly magical and worthy of an Olivier Award.
Mid-performance it becomes apparent to the twins they are not in fact performing at the O2 but are, to all intents and purposes, performing in a venue that looks quite a lot like a large London sewer. Mixed with the upset of being unable to hold a rave, announced by a spoil-sport stage manager / ticket collector, and realising it is indeed the London Vaults they are performing in, Maurice – by now dressed as a cone of chips – becomes quite emotional, almost certainly ad-libbing his exclamation that he was now ‘French-cry’. If you like terrible puns – and I do – then this made the whole evening.
Aside from the obvious aspects of horror, featuring; the murder of their own parents, regular communication with Satan, and their love of reality television – the twins provide a very light relief from the serious world around us. From sketches featuring their ideas for new television programmes to excerpts from their hideous YouTube channel – all lovingly recycled from such family favourites as Rosie and Jim – the twins provide a very good evening out. Although one wonders what, if anything, the Social Services are doing letting two delinquent ten-year-olds loose on the general public.
Blending the minds of the League of Gentlemen, the sass of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and some revolting Halloween props, with just a dash of perfection, and aside from a gory mess you’d have the foundation of this gloriously awful show, that is everything camp, horrifying and glorious.
Reviewed by Lee Knight
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