Hello. I’ll level with you — it’s felt really weird trying to put something together about a comedy show while the news and social media have been consumed by endless misery. In line with what I’ve said on Twitter I’m going to steer away from hot takes, but I am going to use Good Content to point you in the direction of reliable journalistic sources and well-established charities. And for goodness’ sake, take breaks from the doomscroll cycle if you need them.
Anyway, let’s talk about a Swedish twink in a skin-tight catsuit.
It’s always a delight to see the Leicester Comedy Festival grace my home city’s various venues, especially after Covid forced the event to go virtual last year, but for me the real gem of last month’s Leicester Comedy Festival was watching Linus Karp roll into town1. His one-man show, How To Live A Jellicle Life: Life Lessons From The 2019 Hit Movie Musical “Cats”, had caught my eye not just with its title but with its premise: a dissection of Tom Hooper’s 2019 CG fever dream, and the ways the film can teach us to be better- sorry, more jellicle in our everyday lives.
In no more than an hour, Karp and a PowerPoint presentation teeming with memes (and frankly not enough thirst traps) helps the audience understand what makes the cats in Cats tick, with all the enthusiasm, boundless energy, and obligatory James Corden slander required to bring those who skipped the film up to speed. It’s a very queer love letter to its source material that has its tongue firmly in its cheek, and whose humour feels distinctly millenial — like the Love of Huns Instagram page and a few YouTube Poops had a baby, who was Swedish and really into Cats.
But more than anything, How To Life A Jellicle Life felt like a breath of fresh air. It’s obviously been a bad few years for the arts; endless lockdowns and restrictions on performances have made life hard for performances and stuck audiences with Zoom shows or middle-of-the-road Netflix specials. To be welcomed back into the world of live performances in a very compact venue by something so quirky, so unique and so very, very queer was a delight, and I can’t wait to see what Linus Karp does next.
While Linus has left Leicester at this point, How To Live A Jellicle Life: Life Lessons From The 2019 Hit Movie Musical “Cats” is going out live to a virtual audience from the Accidental Theatre in Belfast this Saturday, March 5th at 7:30pm. You can grab a virtual ticket here — and in case it isn’t obvious, it carries the Good Screen seal of approval.
Good Content
Follow: When something as awful as a war is happening, and the aggressor nation’s propaganda and disinformation machines are so powerful, it’s really important to have solid sources. I’m going to add to the chorus of people suggesting you follow the crowdfunded Kyiv Independent, and while I disagree with the FT’s political stance at elections their Moscow bureau chief Max Seddon has been solid at cutting through the noise. Whomever you follow, please make sure you try and corroborate a source before you share or quote tweet — your takes can wait.
Donate: To the British Red Cross’ Ukraine appeal, Voices of Children, Sunflower of Peace, and any local fundraising or item collection efforts in your area. If your local efforts are requesting food donations, please consider taking the time to donate to your local food bank as well.
Read: A spot-on piece from Katelyn Burns - No, the War in Ukraine Isn’t Because of Pronouns - on American (and British) conservatives’ fixation on trans people being to blame for basically everything:
Actually, “the war started because of pronouns” is an oversimplified version of their actual take, which was that Putin sensed the west was weak because we’ve been obsessing over pronouns and transgenderism. It’s peak “my pet issue is actually responsible for every problem” thinking and it’s frankly humiliating for those who espouse this.
And Finally: Times like these can be incredibly overwhelming, so I want to encourage you to take time away from the news and from social media if you feel anxious or stressed out. In times of immense stress and strain the best thing I can recommend is that you look after yourself, and that you find the things that bring you comfort and have them ready to go. Take care of yourself; I’ll be back — hopefully with something lighter — very soon.
In the interest of disclosure, I’m friends with Linus’ fiancé, who stage manages and produces the show, and asked for my help in picking a Leicester venue.