By Suzanne Tate
Buffy Revamped, written by Brendan Murphy is a sprint down memory lane for avid Buffy fans. Performed by Jacob Jackson, Buffy Revamped promises to bring you the entire 144 episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer as seen through the eyes of Spike. Covering 7 seasons in 70 minutes is a challenge, especially for a one-man show. While Jackson focuses on the role of Spike, he also presents brief satirical cameos by the members of the Scooby gang and other significant characters to help retell the tale of their adventures. The pace is frenetic, with Jackson maintaining a high level of energy throughout the show. There is a little bit of audience participation – as always at a comedy show, beware of sitting in the front row if that is not your idea of fun. The show also includes a few 90s hits sung by Jackson with new lyrics to match the story, some performed with much better pitch than others (deliberately, I assume) and a few satirical digs at both 90s and current events.
The show is aimed squarely at Buffy fans, of course, and those not completely indoctrinated may find it hard to follow. But for those familiar with the series, each moment brings memories of the key moments throughout the show, always with a positive spin on Spike’s involvement – totally in character, we would expect no less from Spike. Lights, props, a smoke machine and the odd PowerPoint slide add atmosphere, but it is Jackson’s constant patter that draws you in and provides multiple laughs. He dealt well with a few mishaps, such as ripping his mic off during a costume change, breaking the ‘Champion’s Amulet’, and almost cracking in response to audience comments, and laughs were delivered pretty constantly throughout the show.
The only criticism I had was the accent Jackson chose for Spike, which did not match the one used by James Marsters in the original series and more closely resembled ‘Ripper’, but he did present many of Spike’s mannerisms and characterisation effectively.
While not what I would consider a highly polished piece of comedic genius, Buffy Revamped provided a solid night of laughs and memories and comes to Melbourne at a particularly beneficial time to console those fans disappointed by the failure of the Buffy reboot to get off the ground. Come to the Trades Hall for Buffy Revamped and console yourself by immersing yourself in treasured memories (and some appropriately bloody awful poetry from William the Bloody).
