Brighton Fringe 2025

David Hoyle: Mayday Mayday! took us on a daring rollercoaster of a ride, as we listened to songs sung by Hoyle, a select few of us received a painting, some were engaged in audience participation – and we played outrageous charades.

The performance was clearly and successfully divided into several sections including discussing topics with the audience such as who they were here with, charades with animal themes, painting a physical picture of a member of the audience which was Hoyle’s choice, giving out pictures to a select few and singing two emotive songs from Cabaret. The transitions were smooth, the audience participation was humorous but kind, and Hoyle had a strong stage presence throughout. Even when he was dancing in the audience, the focus and attention was solely on him.  He held the space confidently and firmly.

He was moremore than able to manage the audience – there were no hecklers, he was totally at ease in the environment.

This made the engaging and quirky show very enjoyable. It also created a safe space, and because we trusted him when he informed us everyone was welcome we felt free to enjoy the show and express our views – being asked as audience participation wasn’t as daunting because of the environment he had created.

While Hoyle was performing, behind him we could see a series of moving images, including slogans about fascism and people wearing gas masks. This aided our understanding of the piece – we understood the political undertones- and this enhanced the overall aesthetics, layering them and creating depth. The use of the imagery was a very clever method of making it abundantly clear that Hoyle was liberal leaning, it didn’t need to be explained. The images were provocative – images of people in gas masks felt a significant risk to take. But it worked performatively and achieved its intention.

A highlight was the distribution of pictures, and a particular gag about who would be receiving them. It created a sense of tension in terms of who got one – there weren’t enough to go round. Hoyle – in an act of genius- turned it on its head – originally everyone wanted a picture, but the line in which he outlined why the certain few were chosen made it less appealing. It made the audience laugh, bonded me with the people next to me but also it left me thinking on a deeper level about segregation.

While being funny, it was also shocking.  There were other forms of audience involvement and interaction which successfully built a sense of tension in terms of who would be selected, and how the image would turn out. We were on tenterhooks as to what might emerge next.  It transpires that Hoyle is also talented artist  which added an additional dimension into the performance – it’s not usually something that happens during a drag/comedy performance, but it was a bold step that really paid off.

The choice of costume was a further virtue – drag make up, wig, pink tights and intentionally tacky jewellery including huge rings on every finger. Hoyle is still firmly established in the “drag” world and this is exemplified in two songs delivered with consumate  skill near the end.

Hoyle’s liberalism and commitment to equality were quickly established from the very start – firstly by the choice of images in the slide show but also Hoyle mentioned at the beginning that everyone was welcome. Therefore there is no need to continually repeat a manifesto – what he does is give the audience credit in understanding where he is coming from before launching into some dark, but funny remarks, which both engage and keep them off balance in equal measure.

Perhaps in order to develop the performance further the performer could consider changing the order of the sections – in the current flow of the show, I thought the performance was ending sooner than it was as did several people around me. Equally, in tonight’s performance there was an issue with the mic- which was rectified during the performance. Iron out the little glitches to raise the show even higher.

The audience quite clearly responded positively to the performance and we laughed out loud many times. One of the most memorable comedic moments involved spontaneous interaction with an audience member. Through a series of playful, well-judged questions, the performer built tension with expert timing, allowing the humour to emerge naturally without over-explaining. It was a daring and tightly balanced exchange that kept the audience on edge—before releasing us into even more laughter

This show was funny, light hearted but with an deeper yet direct message.  The skill of the performer in balancing the message of the performance with humour was clear here. The thrill of wondering how far Hoyle was going to go made it an very engaging and daring experience. Hoyle has been performing for decades, and that shone through. So singer, comedian social commentator, painter and above all brilliant entertainer, this is a great night for both the intelligentsia and new festival patrons alike.