I Want You to Admire Me / But You Shouldn’t

Who is better, David Attenborough or Michelle Obama? Tough and silly questions like these make up the production of I Want You to Admire Me / But You Shouldn’t from Dirty Rascals Theatre Company, in which three contestants take to the stage to win over an audience.

Through the charade of a television game show, spectators are encouraged to raise green- and red-sided cards to cast votes on who they deem to be the most admirable, while the three participants – Howard Horner, Emily Shore and Hannah Donelon – are asked a series of questions that are at times moral and at others personal. The presenter, a hyperactive, too-loud, Vape-smoking host portrayed by Tom Macqueen, pushes through a performance that’s intended as a comical take on the modern game show, but instead comes off as strangely sadistic, largely because spectators have the opportunity to shame each of the players while they compete to win.

Unfortunately, I Want You to Admire Me / But You Shouldn’t falls short on the hilarity front. The show feels repetitive with continual breaks, while the contenders become more and more withdrawn as the shaming affects their initial joie de vivre, ultimately proving the piece to be a largely joyless affair.

Selina Begum

I Want You to Admire Me / But You Shouldn’t is at the Cage from 13^th until 15^th February 2019. For further information or to book visit the show’s website here.

Read more reviews from our Vault Festival 2019 coverage here.

For further information about the event visit the Vault Festival website here.