Jonny & The Baptists, Theatre Review. Unity Theatre, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 7.5/10

Cast: Jonny Donahue, Paddy Gervers

Death is inevitable, the planet more or less will become more fragile and yes perhaps we have gone past the tipping point where extinction is possible, yet at the end of the day there is still time for comedy and satire; after all aren’t those who continue to put us in the mess we like to roll around in, worth it? The world may be on a collision course with the apocalypse, of irreversible climate change but there is still time to enjoy two men on stage take a light hearted but smack on look at what it actually means to be told The End Is Nigh

Jonny and the Baptists, Jonny Donahue, Paddy Gervers, bring their irreverent style with groove and conviction to the Unity Theatre and whilst holding themselves responsible for the most unlikely of Conservative wins in the 2015 General elections, the pair were hopeful that it was just the electorate having lost their senses rather than any hex they might have had a year on from their last visit.

It was a hope they had that at least the local elections would hold sway and with that in mind they proceeded to tell the tale in song and occasional dropping of sweets on to the Unity stage and via the interesting love song to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, of how Johnny promised his four year old niece that he would stop climate change, that he would solve the problem of the Earth dying.

How do you solve a problem that huge when the Government won’t play fair, when they put someone in charge of the department who willingly takes advice from people other than those from the free energy suppliers, mostly the best way is too write protest songs or if that doesn’t hold sway you can at least draw giant willies everywhere; as they mused, it was a simpler time when you could do that.

An evening that captured the imagination and a set of songs that tickled the funny bone and whilst the pair were up against the apathy of voter turnout in all constituencies, they at least were able to amuse those in the Unity Theatre fully. Jonny and the Baptists gate crashed the night with good humour, the party has life in it yet.

Ian D. Hall