Edinburgh Fringe 2024
Zac Zac Zoom: A Story of Wheels and (F)eels
Zac Zac Zoom
Genre: Musical Theatre, One Person Show
Venue: Surgeons Hall
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
This is a eccentric musical comedy play about Zach and his attempt to write a Fringe play. He hilariously and thoughtfully goes in to depth about Eels and his interest in them and his life as a wheelchair user and other peoples interest in this. Using absurd humour to educate the audience and give them insight yet making them laugh at the same time.
Review
This comedic one man show about Zachary Loram and his effort to write a fringe play is irreverently funny and thoughtful at the same time. Initially I couldn’t tell if it was a show about a young man shedding light on his life and daily challenges as a wheelchair user or… eels (yep that’s right eels). After some thought I realised it was about both! I say this with a pinch of salt of course. In a comical manner Scott very cleverly opens singing about and discussing eels in depth and all the unusual questions he has about them. He then he addresses all questions people ask about his own disability. This comparison cleverly points out how sometimes peoples mindless unwarranted curiosity can at times be very unempathetic and rude. The show is thoughtful, witty, full of comical songs and features a domineering boss who appears on a zoom call to shout at him when he veers too far off topic. Oh and it features a musical duet with an Eel puppet which leaves the audience cackling with laughter!
The comedic acting in this show is spot on. Zac seems to be a naturally a funny actor. Using songs to explore heavy and (not so heavy) topics make for great comedy and his acting skills shine – i.e. exploiting all the awkward silences for comedic gain or unashamedly confronting the bizarre. Some speech is pre-recorded to Loram’s thought but he used this dialogue in a hilariously clever way. Jumping in to speak in-between and pointing out the ridiculousness of what he’s thinking at times. He also uses recordings which sound like audience members asking probing questions from the back of the room which is very funny and further points out how absurd it is when people ask bizarre questions about disability as it often feels like an interrogation scene. The show shines a light on what it is actually like to be a wheelchair user and when the audience leave the theatre they have a newfound insight in to what disabled people have to deal with on a daily basis which is commendable. It’s also a musical and features many funny songs – The first song and last song being anthems about Eels. It is very hard not to keep a straight face in a theatre when someone sings a three minute epic about eels. There are also songs which confront everyday life with a disability – one about looking for drop curbs when out and about on the street. Which is humourous on one level but also sheds a bit of light on what wheelchair users face which is very informative. The songs are very musical also and this is a fantastic showcase Loram’s many talents as a comedy songwriter and musician.
One thing I liked about this play was that it made me laugh hard and think hard all in the space of 30 minutes. A perfect amount of time for this show as it made a real impact/was punchy. It was also very slick and seemed well rehearsed with all the recordings – he didn’t miss a beat. It was slightly on the bizarre side at times but overall it was extremely funny and the entertainment level was very high. I enjoyed the duality of subject matter – switching between the two topics which seem (initially) somewhat unrelated made for great humour but was also very clever.
Overall this shows use of absurd humour makes us laugh and think, a bridge between comedy and philosophy. It also educates the audience and viewers leave with more insight which is commendable. These very funny songs are also performed with complete charisma and comedic ease. Zachary Loram is a talented comedian/musician and also a thinker and I urge anyone to stop by and check this play out during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe!
