Review: DEMI ADEJUYIGBE IS GOING TO DO ONE (1) BACKFLIP, Soho Theatre

“What do you want me to do if I’m not performing?”

Even before the show begins, Demi Adejuyigbe is Going To Do One (1) Backflip, directed by BriTANick, has me laughing with its preshow playlist, a fascinating tracklist of songs that have been turned into some absolutely wild mash-ups. From combining Taylor Swift and Chappell Roan to making a seamless transition from Kendrick Lamar to Fleetwood Mac, there are some surprisingly great ones - my particular favourite was ABBA’s “Dancing Queen” combined with Disturbed’s “Down with the Sickness!”

Once the show starts, we are greeted with audio clips of what appears to be an interview with Adejuyigbe on some kind of talk show as an audience cheers in the background. When asked about himself, Adejuyigbe says, “That’s a great question, Oprah,” and the show really begins. Adejuyigbe arrives on stage and tells us that, at the end of the performance, he will do a backflip, as one might have guessed from the title of the show, which is emblazoned on his shirt for even more emphasis. 

Parts of the show have Adejuyigbe answering calls from people, being informed of each time his phone rings by his producer, Alison Destrie (whose last name Adejuyigbe continually gets wrong, a joke about how people react to his own name). Some of these callers include Wallace Shawn of The Princess Bride fame, Colin Meloy, lead vocalist and guitarist of The Decemberists and even Adejuyigbe’s crush! There’s also a running joke about Wallace Shawn’s annual block party, where Swiss Beatz and Roger Davies are performing the song, “Islands in the Stream.”

For those who are unsure how to win over their crush, fear not - Adejuyigbe is here to share his wisdom and pass it on to the audience using the A.F.L.I.P.!. Method. You might be asking, “What is this method?” Well, Adejuyigbe has a PowerPoint presentation, Comic Sans and all, ready to answer all of your questions. Without too many spoilers, as there are some particularly great reveals that must be seen to be fully experienced, Adejuyigb gives a fantastic presentation that’s a mix of slides, stories and even some songs. 

Whether he’s singing a modern version of Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire” (something he claims has never been done before) and commenting on the irony of singing this song as his hometown of Los Angeles is on fire, defining the epitome of his favourite genre of music (quite possibly my favourite joke) or quickly exiting out from a WikiHow page on how to do a backflip, Adejuyigbe has the audience laughing nonstop.

I especially loved the musical moments of the show, in which Adejuyigbe tends to sing live and also accompanies himself on the piano as a backing track plays. 

There is quite a bit of technology used throughout the show along with the PowerPoint and it is interesting to see how Adejuyigbe is able to interact with it and even how he reacts when things don’t go exactly as planned. A warning for those who are not a fan of audience participation - the front row will not be the best choice for you, as several audience members are pulled into Adejuyigbe’s antics, including one being asked to make the declaration, “I love racism” (There is context to this bit, but even so, it may be a living nightmare for those who fear being called upon by comedians). 

Towards the end of the show, as the backflip draws near, Adejuyigbe appears to grow more nervous, and we start to see the cracks in the facade of this comedian who seemingly has everything together, able to roll with the punches even as things go wrong. We learn a little more about his crush and the importance of this show-ending backflip, emphasising just how life-changing the final moment of this show could be. It’s truly a gut punch of an ending that one comes to expect of comedy shows these days, but Adejuyigbe takes this and puts on a unique twist. 

Demi Adejuyigbe is Going To Do One (1) Backflip is a superb hour of comedy that is both absolutely ridiculous and 100% serious at the same time. Adejuyigbe is a master of his craft, bringing together several forms of comedy to give a powerful presentation on what it truly means to perform and how it feels to show your true self to the world, especially if it seems like the world is against you simply for you who are. 

Demi Adejuyigbe is Going To Do One (1) Backflip runs until 15 February at Soho Theatre

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