Words: Miriam Kirchberger

3 Stars

If you’re looking for a show about the charms of Milton Keynes, this is the show for you. Michael McPheat creates a joyful love letter to his hometown, mostly known for concrete and roundabouts. As an interior designer, the things he appreciates about the city are the modernist architecture, the grid system and, most importantly, the shopping centre. 

The shopping centre takes on a starring role. His high-energy charm and excellent physical comedy shine in the moments where he takes up the whole stage, for example when he dedicates a dance to shopping centre as an homage to all the memories he made there as a small child and teenager. It is also the place where he goes on his first dates with a boy and navigates being in the closet. 

We not only hear from him but also his sister, mum and dad. Their views on the city are incorporated into the show which add a more personal note, as they explain how the city and their lives have changed. The show touches upon nostalgia, memory and loss but this would have been a great jumping-off point to explore them more fully. 

The show generally feels slightly rushed. The most enjoyable bits are when he takes time to tell stories that drift into the absurd. He jokes about distilling mums into candles, he pretends to be a lobster innkeeper. But if Michael’s aim was to redeem Milton Keynes’ reputation, he has been successful in creating a funny show that makes the audience reconsider the city as laughing stock.

Michael McPheat is BRUTAL!
Snug at Gilded Balloon Patter House 
15:30 
17 – 31 August