Madeleine Bloxam’s fast-paced show, Boy Crazy, at Camden Fringe may not “pass the Bechdel test” but is a ditzy exploration of the 21st century dating scene.
The character here, Helena, may be “boy crazy” but with a fear of intimacy, a fear of commitment, and a fear of divorce, she’s a romantic battling with the expectations society place on women in the dating pool.
This is a funny monologue that brings out all the anxieties and tropes of love, lust and longing. With a double bed dominating the Canal Cafe stage, Helena reads from her diary while standing in her pyjamas. It’s part comedy stand-up, part confessional.
The absurdity of casual dating (at least from an American perspective) for the 20-something is the focus of Boy Crazy. From the start we know it is not going to be a straightforward tale as, after a voiceover, Bloxam/Helena appears and destroys a model of what is presumably her favourite fantasy guy. The lighting makes the show a pink and purple paradise, a princess cave.
Reaching into her time capsule box she finds when she’s back in her childhood bedroom for the weekend, different memories come to mind, especially when her avalanche of self-help books is shared. Helena’s switch from little girl to bitch is an hilarious spoof of female empowerment.
Wondering about the hot men, the eligibles, the plus ones, the men who fell into the recycle bin, even male gynecologists, Boy Crazy deals with anxiety and the quarter-life crisis. Within the comedy, issues such as obsession, fertility, therapy, polygamy, the artificiality of porn, the threat of the flexible younger woman, and just what constitutes the perfect partner.
I’ll have to find a way to use the “shake hands with the milkman” line somewhere. It’s always fun to have a takeaway from the fringe.
Boy Crazy is cute, funny, and full of heart. Helena is a Millennial/Gen Z but her childhood of crushes, awkward puberty, disturbing feelings, vulnerability, and dreams surely resonates with all of us.
That it eventually evolves into something personal, something truly sad and pitiful is a tightrope that Bloxam navigates with some care and attention.
4 stars.
Boy Crazy played at Camden Fringe on the 15-16 Aug – read about it here.
My thanks to Madeleine Bloxam for sharing a high quality recording of the show after I could not make it in person!