THE THREE STIGMATA OF PACMAN
Old Red Lion Theatre
By SARAH RAINEY

When he walks on stage carrying a flip-top bin with “time capsule” emblazoned across its front, you’d be forgiven for thinking  Ross Sutherland is a just a little bit mad.

But this quirky and insightful, show is anything but mad. The first solo production from the Aisle 16 poet and comedian tells a weird and wonderful tale of comic disillusionment, brimming with insights into the banalities of modern life.

Using pictures, props and video, Sutherland narrates the story of his transition from music journalist to poet, trying to make sense of the obsession his  contemporaries have with predicting the future.

Lamenting the role played by “Armageddon-porn” and its “pimps of fear”, Sutherland describes how a run-in with a fishing magazine drove him to escape the vicious cycle of the self-fulfilling prophecy favoured by newspaper headlines. 

Shrewd lyricism, deadpan intellect and an inexhaustible ability to engage with the audience buoy Sutherland’s sparky performance through its all-too-brief 60-minute duration.

Anyone who can link Red Riding Hood and Hitler with a Spar shop, throwing in Shakespeare, Keats and a Yorkie bar, deserves credit. For penning and starring in this caustically witty production, Sutherland deserves a bucketful. 

Until January 3
020 7837 7816