It’s been 20 years since Buffy the Vampire Slayer ended - but the Buffyverse is still ever-expanding. Spawning a spin-off show, comics, tie-in novels and a reboot in development, plus countless fanfic accounts and rewatch podcasts, the series has well and truly staked its place in pop culture.
And now the cult classic has been resurrected yet again in Buffy Revamped at The Lowry. Brendan Murphy’s one man show hurtles through seven seasons at breakneck speed, condensing 144 episodes into a fast-paced and funny 70-minute tribute told through the eyes of villain-turned-vamp-with-a-soul Spike.
On stage, a row of red lockers, a trophy cabinet crammed with memorabilia (yep, Catherine the Great is still in there) and bookshelves flickering with candles recreate the halls and library of Sunnydale High. A raconteur and outsider with sharp powers of observation, Spike makes a natural narrator and a bleached-blonde Murphy plays him with all the swagger James Marsters originally brought to the role.
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A handful of simple costumes and accessories allow Murphy to morph into the rest of the Scooby Gang and co: a pair of wigs for Buffy and Willow, a goofy shirt for Xander and a pair of spectacles for Giles. Angel is hilariously reduced to one arm in a leather duster coat, but it’s his impersonation of moony Drusilla with a pair of googly eyes that brings the biggest laughs.
Murphy pokes fun at his source material with the fondness of a true fan, whether he’s recreating the “impenetrable force field of 90s special effects” trapping the Master (with a single strip of Sellotape across his face), or sending up The Bronze’s business model (just how did this nightclub stay open with a mainly under-age clientele and murders on the premises most nights?). A recreation of the projector scene from standout episode Hush is another highlight, adapted to introduce Buffy’s bland boyfriend Riley and the Initiative storyline from season four.
Murphy isn’t afraid to call out aspects of the show that haven’t aged well: its lack of racial diversity, its “problematic men”, and THAT bathroom scene. But he does so breezily, striking just the right balance between critique and comedy.
Only a couple of moments miss the mark. It’d be impossible to cover every single character and storyline in a show this succinct, but it’s a shame to see fan favourite Tara sidelined to an In Memoriam video while Whistler - a minor role in only two episodes - gets an entire segment of show tunes that the performance could live without.
But there’s plenty of fun nineties nostalgia to lift any lulls. The Mayor’s graduation speech is parodied to a soundtrack of Baz Luhrmann’s Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen), while Anya untangles the complicated web of on-screen relationships in her own ‘Anyanka Explains It All’ skit. There’s a sprinkling of Friends references too - Murphy previously gave the smash hit sitcom the same treatment with his one-man show Friend (The One With Gunther).
A fandom as devoted as Buffy’s has got to be a tough crowd to please. There are more than a few Sunnydale High hoodies in the audience and I spot one woman in full Slayer cosplay.
But Murphy’s energy is infectious and by the end, he has everyone roaring along to his version of It’s The End of the World as We Know It (and I Feel Fine) as he crams the whole series’ plot into its rapid-fire verses.
There's plenty to love here from a performance that shares all the hallmarks of the original series. Campy, witty, irreverent and never in danger of taking itself too seriously, it's the ultimate binge watch for Buffy fans.
Buffy Revamped returns to The Lowry on Friday January 22 and there are two further performances on Sunday June 11. Tickets start from £27 and are available from Quay Tickets.
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