Bizarre and Brilliant in Bowling Shoes: Elvis in Chaos Review | Bethany Watt

Elvis in Chaos Promotional Poster

★★★★★

Elvis in Chaos is a theatre by PowerPoint written and performed by Michael Anderson, who came all the way to Edinburgh from his home in Glasgow’s sister city, Boston. Michael described his show best during our interview: “I use comedy as a Trojan horse to teach people about things I’m interested in.”

Elvis in Chaos uses talking points like: What if Charles Manson was signed with the Monkees? to explore chaos theory, probability, and quantum physics. I’d compare Michael to an eccentric science teacher. Littered with phrases like: ”Now they don’t want you to know this”, it was a hilarious hour of class.

Sporting bowling shoes and a rockabilly shirt, it was as if the White House PR team accidentally sent out The Dude from The Big Lebowski to explain Nixon’s involvement in Watergate.

However, it wasn’t just comical; Michael mentioned that he grew up punk and has very strong anarchist and human rights beliefs, which he ensures to include in his work. Michael added: “I’m a union lawyer by day and I use my work, this work, as an outlet for things I could never say to a judge.”

On being at the Fringe, Michael said: “I had no idea how different this was going to be compared to other festivals; the staff and other performers at Greenside have been so supportive, it’s a real community.”

Parts of the show were very endearing; one anecdote which stuck with me was on the classist nature of theatre and art. A ten-minute rant about his son's school friends defying a well-established theatre company’s wishes by using homemade fake blood during an illustrious Shakespearean scene. Slapstick comedy was used to mimic these young men trying and failing to pierce the bags of fake blood during the reenactment of a murder.

Elvis in Chaos is funny, poignant, and beautifully layered. I left feeling happier and honestly, more intelligent. Ask me anything about the multiverse…did you know if Elvis never donned black leather trousers, we would all still be in the 50s?  

Thank you to Michael for speaking with me; it was truly a pleasure.

All proceeds of the show go to immigrant defence networks in Boston.

You can watch Elvis in Chaos at the Lime Studio at Greenside on George street. Tickets are available for his last two shows on August 14 & 15.

By Bethany Watt