Roosevelvis, theatre review: The King, the president and I

Experimental American company The TEAM make theatre that revels in dissecting myths. Here they tackle desire and loneliness through a high-concept two-hander that pays homage to the movie Thelma and Louise while playing exuberantly with notions of gender, heroism and history.

Shy factory worker Ann worships Elvis Presley and loves impersonating him. An unsuccessful date with sparky taxidermist Brenda prompts a soulful journey that takes her to Graceland and also deep into herself.

She’s used to channelling the spirit of Elvis, who acts as a kind of spiritual adviser. Now he is joined by Brenda’s alter ego, former president Teddy Roosevelt. The two men embody two obviously different kinds of masculinity. One is a vulnerable and sincere underdog, the other bullish and boastful, and they compete to inspire her.

If this all sounds bizarre, that’s because it is. The show has a hallucinatory quality. There are delightful moments, as when Teddy puts on boxing gloves and mounts an absurd attack on projected images of a herd of buffalo. But the wackiness of Rachel Chavkin’s production, which makes heavy use of film sequences by Andrew Schneider, sometimes feels laboured. Although Libby King captures Ann’s disappointment and Kristen Sieh brings an amusing pertness to both Brenda and Teddy, the sheer profusion of ideas can swamp the piece’s essential big-heartedness.

Until November 14, Royal Court Downstairs (020 7565 5000)

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