Candy GiGi: I'm Not Lonely @ The Hive
Candy Gigi is a force to be reckoned with. I’m Not Lonely is part of the Free Fringe at the Hive and is not for the faint of heart. It’s like a half an hour of a theatre student doing voice and body exercises on amphetamines. With wide intense eyes, an elastic face and the courage of a lion tamer, Candy Gigi’s set is fuelled by an aggressive stream of consciousness that shocks people into laughter. Pointing at a sign that says: “Please find me funny” and exclaiming “AT ALL TIMES! AT ALL TIMES!” If we didn’t find her funny I have no idea what would happen; she may very well spontaneously combust or bit someone.
It’s hard to summarise what actually goes on because so much of it requires the element of surprise. But know this: despite her aggressive clowning, Candy Gigi remains incredibly likeable. Even when she is applying lipstick across her entire face and eating it. Or swans about the small venue in a stained and ragged wedding dress like a speed freak Miss Havisham. You feel lucky to have been witness to such unbridled glee.
“Four stars,” she screams half way through the show. “You are watching a four star show. WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO DO TO GET A ONE STAR REVIEW?!” she demands to know as she eviscerates an iceberg lettuce. But it does beg the question: what do we deem quality in this day and age? When tastes and styles of reviewers and audiences run the gamut of family friendly to gleefully unhinged, can anything be bad? Candy Gigi's four stars are based entirely on her inventiveness and stamina as a performer. There isn’t a minute of waste – not a moment lags. She has charisma and stage presence coming out of every facial orifice. She will likely not get a show commission from I’m Not Lonely, but she can command a stage like a seasoned professional and in the half an hour she holds her audience captive, she elicits cries of glee and recoils in fear – in equal measure. One star shows don’t hum with the kind of energy Gigi does, which is the very reason Gigi will never bomb.