I was exhausted as I sat down in the newly opened Soho Theatre Walthamstow to watch Natalie Palamides’ WEER. It had been a long day at work and, if I’m honest, I needed a bit of a pick-me-up. Luckily, Palamides more than delivered. I am not exaggerating when I say that WEER was one of, if not the funniest plays I have ever seen.
The premise is simple; Palamides’ plays both sides of a couple in turmoil. And I mean that literally. One side of her, ‘Mark’, sports a beard, wig, and stereotypically masculine clothes, whilst the other side, ‘Christina’, wears a dress. At least to start with… the number of costume changes Palamides managed to pull off was something to behold. I was amazed by how distinct Palamides’ portrayals of Mark and Christina were. They each had unique physical mannerisms, voices, and facial expressions, all of which contributed to really rounding out both their characters (despite only being half a person each). Throughout the play Palamides simultaneously deconstructs and pokes fun at the tropes of 90s romcoms, whilst playing into them enough that the audience becomes unexpectedly invested in this chaotic romance. There were moments of genuine, moving, tenderness between Mark and Christina. Quite some feat given they’re played by the same person!
So much of the sheer joy of this productions comes from the many surprises Palamides has in store, so I won’t give anything away here. Let’s just say every time you think the play can’t get more outrageous and ridiculous, it does. Palamides experience in clowning is used to great effect as she dances, sometimes literally, from one beat of hilarious physical comedy to the next. An abundance of superb props, dramatic lighting, 90s throwback bops and over the top voiceovers helped keep the performance constantly engaging, even during scene changes. The highlight of the show, however, is Palamides ability to create such a personal relationship with the audience. She managed to make the 1000 seat theatre feel like the most intimate of venues, and capitalised on this intimacy with quite simply the best uses of audience participation I’ve ever seen. I have no intention of giving the game away here, but suffice to say I couldn’t believe what I was watching. A sentiment that applies to most of the show.
I should point out that WEER will not be for everyone. Firstly, there are scenes of a sexual nature that some may not be comfortable with. Secondly, the comedy is off-the-wall absurdist, so if you prefer realism, it may not be a match made in Heaven. If you’re like me and seemingly everyone else in last night’s audience though, you will be in hysterics from the first moment to the last. If I had to make a criticism, I would say that at 85 minutes it perhaps ran very slightly longer than was strictly necessary, as there was a slight drop in momentum around 2/3rds of the way through. But this is a minor critique. Ultimately, despite my initial exhaustion, I had an enormous smile on my face from beginning to end. If you have any chance of seeing this short run, do yourself a favour and take it. I really could not recommend the show more.
WEER is running at the Soho Theatre Walthamstow until the 10th of May.
Reviewer: Ben Pearson
Reviewed: 3rd May 2025
North West End UK Rating: