ME PREGNANT!

In burgundy tights and a tiny black smock, Nick Coyle leaps nimbly from step to step as he channels nerdy monster-slayer Emeline; the accented and neurotic spawn of said monster; plus the entire population of a broken-down little medieval village complete with bony trees and a septic river. Above him hovers Amelia Earheart, circumnavigating the globe, and giving the audience the sense that what they are watching (ostensibly as part of a ‘tour group’) is just one microcosm of a vast, barely-hinted at fantasy land of Coyle’s invention. Me Pregnant! is a surreal and gothic tale that in its many details (such as a stingray begging for a modelling contract, the varied and lewd prank calls both protagonists receive) can sometimes threaten to overwhelm. But at its heart is a simple message of hope: for friendships, and for outcasts facing the cruelties of the masses. Like most things actor/writer Coyle creates, such as last year’s Rommy (also at the Old Fitz), it is deeply funny and unfathomably imaginative. You’re best off leaving questions of why at the door. Instead, just resign yourself to enjoying all that you see when you step through it.

Until Apr 23, The Old Fitzroy Theatre, cnr Cathedral & Dowling Sts, Woolloomooloo, $21-40 (beer, laksa, show), 8019 0282, rocksurfers.org