Review: SHELF: TEENAGE MEN, Soho Theatre

Walking into Shelf: Teenage Men, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Based on the show’s description, there would be “anecdotes, songs, jokes about performing for kids, the Instagram algorithm, confronting your toxicity, and more.” How was all of this going to fit into an hour-long show? Luckily, I had nothing to worry about - I was in the hands of professionals, after all.

For those unfamiliar with the group, Shelf is a double-act of Rachel WD and Ruby Clyde, two nonbinary performers who have been friends since childhood, which makes for a fantastic dynamic. Along with putting on shows for adults, the duo also have created shows for kids (which they say is their main source of income), including one about hugging. This show, however, is for the adults. Shelf: Teenage Men goes into a range of topics including Rachel and Ruby’s childhoods, performing children’s shows and their romantic lives.

Rachel, who grew up trying to be a “bad boy with a heart of gold,” and Ruby, described as a “rage kid with the attachment style of a housecat,” make for a wonderful pairing that one might compare to a golden retriever and a cat. It’s also great to see platonic love on display, as, to quote the pair, they are “a double act, not a couple.” We learn that Rachel has spent most of their life trying to be more of “a man” than their butch mother, while Ruby questioned their identity, having previously identified as very feminine, talking about how they enjoyed baking with their mum after Rachel’s story of going to a 1980s bisexual club with their own mum.

One of the highlights of the show comes in the songs, with Ruby on guitar and singing and Rachel typically interjecting with asides to the audience. The first, which goes into Rachel’s escapades as a youth while trying to be a “teenage bad boy,” has actual quotes from their childhood, typically delivered as flirty one-liners to audience members.

Another goes into Rachel’s Instagram “Explore” page, where, as the algorithm, Ruby determines that Rachel is a “straight teenage boy.” The funniest song comes at the end. Without going into too many spoilers, it involves a breakup playlist and taking the worst possible messages from each of the songs.

The majority of the show focuses on Rachel and Ruby’s identities, especially how it relates to performing for children. There is one hilarious anecdote about an enthusiastic child in the audience yelling instructions at the pair as they chase one another as a part of the show, leading to what they consider to be the “Batman Begins of a very specific Google search” for that child. There are also some funny moments provided by the parents in the audiences of these children shows, including one particularly pronoun-focused mother.

After all of the laughs, the ending of the show is quite heartfelt (it felt a bit more impactful with the families of the performers in the audience, which made for some funny moments throughout the show as well). It is great to know that the next generation is being raised on some brilliant comedy that they can continue to enjoy once they’re all grown up.

Shelf: Teenage Men is one of the most delightful shows I’ve seen in years and left me heading home with a smile on my face. Rachel and Ruby make for a fantastic duo who are great with an adult audience and I can clearly imagine them being wonderful with kids as well. 

Shelf: Teenage Men runs until 27 April at Soho Theatre.

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