Review: The Simple Life and Death (Pleasance Theatre)

Review by Dan Sinclair

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Back in the flip-phone/Tony Blair years of 2004, a reality show changed the face of television and introduced the world to the iconic Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie. The Simple Life followed the two socialites as they traded in New York parties for a series of ‘poor’ jobs - not sliving - most famously their stint on a farm. After their 2005 falling out, it’s time for their 20th-anniversary relaunch, and conveniently for us at the Pleasance Main Space, it’s in front of a live studio audience. But before long, a disaster strikes and a body is found. P.I Paris Hilton takes on the case and is joined by three celebrity guests/suspects, to talk all things Simple Life and try and crack the case. 

Comedian Fizz Sinclair, alongside ShayShay, founder of the Pan-Asian cabaret collective Bitten Peach, have created a joyfully sloppy queer mess, and it’s beautiful. Midway through their live special, Nicole’s skeleton is found (or she’s on Ozempic), Paris (ShayShay) convinces Director Lodge to turn the reunion special into an NCIS/Judge Judy one-off investigation and from there, the mystery begins.

 Across the investigation, we meet Jennifer Coolidge, Cheryl Cole and… Caitlyn Jenner. All three guests are played by Fizz Sinclair, and what a talent. Her first impression of Coolidge nailed the cheeks, the eyes, the mouth and the voice, there were mutters throughout the sequence all around me of ‘that’s an amazing Coolidge’, honestly one of the best I’ve seen - and I’ve seen a surprising amount. Then came Cheryl Cole, the nation’s sweetheart, and with some determination Fizz Sinclair showed that they are not a Richie/Coolidge two-trick pony, but an actual drag chameleon who puts most Snatch Game entries to shame. As Caitlyn Jenner approached, you could feel everyone tense up a bit, unsure of the direction that the two were going to take. It was brutal, completely un-repeatable in a review and hilarious. Loves it. 

I do think the show could do with a trim here and there, notably in the second act there are a few monologues that go on for a hair too long, clearly for costume changes, but it loses its pace waiting for the next sequence where ShayShay and Fizz Sinclair (great surname) get to bounce their serious silliness off of each other. As Paris, ShayShay carries the bulk of the storytelling, whilst they do a fine job, the killing off of Nicole so early on means that they can’t really use Fizz Sinclair to help push the plot forward and it instead mostly relies on monologues or pre-recorded segments. Whilst potentially an introvert's nightmare, I think the show could do with amping up the audience interaction a notch. 

The real skill of this show is in it’s bringing together of different strands of performance: a bit of sketch comedy, some panto, a bit of British drag, some American, a large spoonful of cabaret - it tries to do everything at the same time, and for once, it really works. Through this hybrid, they’ve created a queer pantomime for the community by the community, and that is a political act. 

The Simple Life and Death has a simple goal, to bring trans and queer joy to a theatre landscape that tries to consistently commercialise the pain, but no more. Now there is only room for ‘sanasa’ but to the tune of For Good from Wicked. Camp. This is a show with a definite future - take it to the Fringe, give it another shot of vodka and watch it become the cult favourite this summer. 

The Simple Life and Death is playing at the Pleasance Theatre till 7th December.

Tickets from: https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/simple-life-death