★★★★★ Buffy Revamped: 90s fashion, vampires, and parody

It was a dark, rainy evening in Sheffield, when a vampire by the name of Spike creeped along the stage of the Lyceum and took us back to the 90s.

The well-loved classic, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, follows Buffy Summers after she moves to Sunnydale. Buffy is the ‘chosen one,’ a vampire slayer fated to battle monsters, and she just so happens to have moved to a ‘Hellmouth,’ to where the supernatural are drawn. The show quickly became popular and made it to 144 episodes over 7 seasons. How can all of that be summarised in 70 minutes? How indeed?

Somehow, Brendan Murphy not only captured the show in just 1 hour and 10 minutes, but he did so in the funniest way. He retold the story through the perspective of Spike, initially Buffy’s nemesis, then lover.

Going into a one-man parody show, the expectation would be monologues and some stand-up comedy perhaps. Well, there was a bit of that, of course. But there was so much more. Audience interactions and engagement, dressing up, breaking into musical numbers, fourth-wall breaking, and more. 

The show began with and carried through dramatics in its retelling of Buffy. From the show memorabilia and staging exuding 90s supernatural gothic, to the flashing lights and smoke, the set was immersive and spooky. Not to mention the booming voice of the narrator introducing and presenting the show. Although it was a comedic parody, the efforts in resembling the atmosphere of Buffy, which is a huge part of what audiences love, were clear and worked well. Beginning October with this show felt perfect for an enthusiast of Autumn and horror (I know neither Buffy nor Revamped are traditional horror but the themes and exploration of the supernatural fit the genre).

From the beginning to the end, this is thoroughly a comedy show. I laughed and grinned so hard the entire time that my cheeks were hurting. The entire audience was so clearly enthralled and the theatre was a sea of laughter. Murphy did a brilliant job retelling the story from Spike’s perspective, sprinkling in some emotional moments, and raining down in melody. Though his singing was somewhat ironic and part of the comic act, he was a good singer, and that made the show even more entertaining.

If you’re a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I highly recommend this show. Brendan Murphy is already winning awards and I genuinely cannot wait for what he does next.