A love letter to movie geekdom

Now Listen to Me Very Carefully is a new devised piece from Chichester-based Bootworks Theatre. The comedic show stars Andy Roberts and concerns his real-life obsession with Terminator 2. The production consists of Roberts psychoanalysing his passion for the movie, while re-enacting the film with the help of his co-star James Baker and members of the audience.

Roberts claims that he’s sharing his fanaticism with the audience as a sort of therapy; the movie, he says, is a constant source of inspiration to him when his life doesn’t go according to plan. The parts of the show where he lingers on his life story are, however, the weakest, and occasionally come off as indulgent.

Having said that, Roberts’ recreations of the movie’s famous set pieces are a lot of fun. He plays up the show’s low budget: some of the characters’ lines are played from a tape of his parents putting on terrible accents, and the film’s famous car chase is recreated using remote-control cars. What’s more, the audience interaction gives Roberts and Baker great opportunities to improvise.

This love letter to movie geekdom gets a thumbs up.

Christian Butler is a writer and musician based in London.

Now Listen to Me Very Carefully is at the Pleasance Courtyard until 31 August.