13 Mar 2025
Matt Adams is at the Eric Morecambe Centre in Harpenden for a celebration of the ‘nineties stakefest…
For readers of a certain age, the 1990s might be seen as a time of polarisation. You may have been in either Team Blur or Team Oasis, preferred the Spice Girls to All Saints, and on TV, owed allegiance to Dawson’s Creek or Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
The spunky cheerleader with a secret mission to fight supernatural evil in smalltown Sunnydale lasted seven seasons and even prompted a spin-off for her brooding boyfriend Angel. So with plans for a revival now moving forwards, the timing of Brendan Murphy’s one-man parody-tribute to the series could not have been more apposite.
Propelling himself on stage to a screeching guitar solo, recklessly swigging from a bottle of whiskey, and complete with the Billy Idol haircut and long black leather trenchcoat of vampire anti-hero Spike, Murphy displays an energy and enthusiasm which does not falter for a second of the show’s 70-minutes duration.
The sweat which pours off of him throughout his performance only goes to show just how much he is putting into every moment on stage, and by the time the curtain falls he has undoubtedly given his all.
Billed as a fast-paced journey through all of Buffy’s 144 episodes through Spike’s eyes, it’s far from a simple chronological retelling of what we saw on television. Instead, Murphy uses contemporary songs, video games and other pop culture references to present a hilarious account of the vampire slayer’s adventures.
Throwing himself into different characters with the help of wigs, glasses, an eyepatch, hats and a stand-in for Angel’s trademark coat, he presents not only a deep understanding of what made the TV series work, but also some of the less successful elements. The Initiative anyone?
Even the stage design is lovingly crafted from Easter Egg props which reflect an almost encyclopaedic understanding of the original source material, from Cordelia’s ‘Queen C’ number plate and Giles’ original ‘Vampyr’ tome to Buffy’s Class Protector award and the original poetry books of William the Bloody.
The pre-publicity material suggests it’s not just the perfect parody for Buffy aficionados, but will also appeal those who have never enrolled at Sunnydale High, but who are they kidding?
This is a production immersed in the continuity and canon of the show, and its target audience know exactly why it’s funny.
Surprisingly there is also plenty of audience interaction, which after a typically British reticence at the beginning soon descends into ad libs and interjections, ending with everyone singing along to an interpretation of REM’s It’s The End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) as the series, and the show, come to a close.
A stand-out celebration of everything that made Buffy the Vampire Slayer one of the most beloved TV shows of modern times. Highly recommended.
