Review: I, KERMIT by Charlie Sharpe at The Lion & Unicorn Theatre 5 – 9 July 2022

‘I, KERMIT poses questions about the existence of a puppet’ ★★★

What was all that about? Profound or muddled?

It starts here: 'First and foremost, right, you’ve got the frog. He’s a frog. That’s where it starts, that’s where it ends.' The story is a fictionalised account of the life of Steve Whitmire following his dismissal from the Jim Henson Company in 2016. Now working on a new act with his partner, The Frog, Steve finds himself hounded by his flatmate, Kermit, who insists that maybe it's time to take the puppet off.

Well, here is my take on the play. It’s absurdist existentialism with, I thought, the main subject of the play being bereavement and the stages of grieving. It also has elements of meta-theatricality.  The audience of the night seemed to find it terribly funny, perhaps because of the bizarre nature of having a Kermit puppet on your hand while the other actor is Kermit, followed by Kermit (the actor) donning a puppet representing Steve Whitmire. Do you follow?

The duologue has good pace and excellent timing, with suitably well-articulated performances from the actors. There is always something happening on stage which keeps the attention, even if it doesn’t quite reach its potential.  Promising work. 

BOX OFFICE

https://www.thelionandunicorntheatre.com/whats-on

SHOW INFORMATION:

WRITTEN BY: Charlie Sharpe

PERFORMED BY: Charlie Sharpe and

Miles Blanch

DIRECTED BY: Selwin Hulme-Teague

OTHER CREATIVES: Antoinette Simon (Graphic Design)

Twitter: @WetBeeCantLeave

Reviewed by Heather Jeffery, Editor of London Pub Theatres Magazine