Adam Strauss: The Mushroom Cure

‘The Mushroom Cure is guaranteed to change your life’ – sadly, it’s been 24 hours and my OCD is still giving my brain the finger. Adam Strauss’s one-man trip of hallucinogenic self-help promised a lot and delivered comparatively little. What was pitched as a true, heart-rending tale of self-discovery felt flat and forced. A disclaimer at the top of the show about departing from the script had us on board initially, but we were lost as the story progressed without any real arc to keep us hooked.

What was essentially a soliloquy sounded rehearsed and devoid of any pace or dynamic. There were a few poetic moments of genuine insight, though the delivery stifled any poignancy they might have had. I really wanted to enjoy it, but it teetered over the line from endearing to self-indulgent, lacking the pathos needed to make it work as comedy.

Sadly, the funniest parts were moments of spontaneity when Strauss broke from the show to comment on noise from adjoining shows. There’s definitely a good comic in there, I just don’t think the story was quite there.