Southbank Centre, London – until 11 July 2025
Reviewed by Claire Roderick
4****
Nature Theater of Oklahoma’s debut London show is absolute Marmite. An absurdist dark and daft comedy score running at over 2 hours without an interval is definitely not for everyone – I bloody loved it!
Conceived, written and directed by Pavol Liska and Kelly Copper, No President focusses on the cutthroat world of security. Actors and BFFs Mikey (Ilan Bachrach) and Georgie (Bence Mezei) work as security guards but always find time on the job to develop and practise their special dance routine. Both lusting after their supervisor (Tale Dolven) – who is also the wife of their Big Boss (Gabel Eiben) – they must nevertheless focus on guarding the mysterious curtain for their client. No one has ever looked behind the curtain, but they stand firm protecting it. A rival gang of security guards – all ex-ballerinas – attack them and all hell breaks loose. The story follows Mikey’s spiral into despair, revenge, despotism, enlightenment and redemption – which sounds lovely. But Mikey tends to eat his feelings, and if there aren’t Cheetos handy, then human flesh hits the spot nicely.
Mikey is a narcissistic manchild, but Ilan Bachrach’s tour de force performance endears him to the audience, even as he is chowing down, and as the show progresses and a few points that could be the end of the story occur, you can’t help but hope he finds redemption and the love he craves.
Set to the music of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, rather than a child dreaming of Christmas goodies, the nonsense of this show is an adult fever dream after one too many bags of Cheetos. Narrated with astonishing verbal dexterity and charm by Robert M. Johanson – who also has cosy chats with Mikey as the Devil – the story is densely written, full of puns, word play and deadpan humour adding layers to what is happening on stage. The cast are mostly silent, leaning into the slapstick stylism of silent film, and the choreography is full of joy and humour, with the corps de ballet (Lisa Fagan, Ida Hellsten, Laron Janus, Raymond Liew Jin Pin, Joana Kern, Hannah Krebs, Marlena Meier, Kadence Neill and Gustavo de Oliveira Leite) merging ballet, drill movements and contemporary with great dynamism. Fights, orgies and cannibalistic frenzies are all performed with knowing glee and overexaggerated facial expressions. This production is all about the cast, but Ansgar Prüwer’s gloriously seedy set, dominated by the red curtain, and Maarten Warmerdam’s atmospheric lighting design create a wonderfully strange world. Coloured cloths and smoke depict body fluids and odours and Jenny Theisen’s costumes have naked bodies with colourful cloth genitalia that adds a childlike and childish air to the unpleasant sexual shenanigans onstage, both human and animal.
With the narrator making many arch comments about the nature of art and artistic merit, Nature Theater of Oklahoma know exactly what they are doing challenging their audience with this surreal and silly show. It takes an incredible amount of work and rigour to create the hilarious choreographed chaos of No President. This weird and wonderful production is a rare chance for London audiences to see this amazing company at their absolute best. Grab a ticket now!
Nature Theater of Oklahoma: No President plays at the Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall until Friday 11 July. southbankcentre.co.uk