 Horny for the End of the World introduces us to Ebeth (Tatienne Hendricks-Tellefsen), a self-aware, try-hard, Gen Z “pick-me” who is dumped by the man of her dreams, Jamie — mere hours before humanity collectively realises the world is about to end.
With her final days ticking away, Ebeth retreats to the safety of her family home and neon pink bedroom, endlessly dissecting where the relationship went wrong while staring at her phone, desperate for a reconciliation text before the apocalypse hits. But instead of Jamie, it’s a cavalcade of old flames and failed situationships who slide back into her DMs armed with unsolicited nudes and lazy attempts at last-minute hookups. Hendricks-Tellefsen shares this rogue’s gallery of men, each painted with such sharp detail and recognisable flaws that our late-night audience audibly responds with a chorus of “yes, girl!” and “oh no, girl!” as Ebeth wrestles with the low bar they offer. The real magic here is her ability to make an audience feel seen with the shared eye-roll at men’s predictable patterns, the sigh of recognition at the emotional labour women so often perform for nothing in return. Ebeth’s realisation that she gives so much of herself to make men feel good, yet is left feeling hollow lands like a gut punch due to the timing of her realisation. It’s an intense, tightly honed performance that captures the contradictions of being a deeply empathetic Gen Z navigating a dating landscape built for instant gratification but emotional emptiness. The writing brims with comic invention from one of the bleakest vision boards you’ll ever see to the sly asides and knowing glances that pull the crowd into her crisis of confidence. Hendricks-Tellefsen delivers a character who feels utterly lived-in, painfully relatable and tragic, and wickedly funny, even as the clock runs down on the world itself. Lee Hutchison 4/5 Horny For The End of the World Venue: Stephenson Theatre at theSpace @ Surgeons' Hall Dates: August 11th to 22nd (excluding 17th) Time: 2310 Tickets: www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/horny-for-the-end-of-the-world |
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