Theatre / Reviews
Review: EXPÖSED, The Alma Tavern and Theatre – ‘Fabulous, ludicrous and hilarious’
Described as “a tongue-in-cheek adaptation” of The Emperor’s New Clothes, EXPÖSED, the latest show from Baby Lamb Productions tells the story of fashion designer extraordinaire ‘Ze Emperor’ and his colourful entourage in their quest to find the new zeitgeist of the season.
Replete with mishaps, mix-ups and some nudity, the cast strides onto stage with an abundant sense of pure theatrical play. This production is bursting at the seams with character, including a misunderstood human Alexa, a super cool cowboy/wannabe horse, and an innovative yet fraudulent Parisian fashion duo.
The actors blend and balance incredibly well on stage, bearing in mind every character has a strong personality; to watch them interact is truly a joyous experience. Most memorable of all is Ze Emperor himself: camp, demanding and a tad dim-witted, his one-liners and cartoonish facial expressions are determined to get the whole audience laughing.
Furthermore, the plentiful jokes in this piece are perfectly written to hit time and time again, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats to find out what insanity they will come up with next.
Standout moments include an interpretative dance of what this innovative new material “feels like” (certainly deserving of its generous applause, and lengthy encore), a strip tease-turned-horse impression, various whale and rainforest impersonations and internal monologues of the realisation that these top Berlin fashionistas are, in fact, not cool.
Somehow, Baby Lamb manage to exercise subtlety in these obscure moments, displaying the talent to hold the audience in a space where all of this madness feels somehow completely rational and organic. There is no hint of misunderstood exaggeration; an amazing feat for such a tongue-in-cheek type of show.
Delivered in a skit-style, scenes naturally flow by, underscored by iconic anthems by ABBA, Lady Gaga and Whitney Houston. This, of course, is prefaced by opening and ending dance numbers, welcoming the audience into the Eurovision-esque comedy of the piece.
At the start, the dominance of the musical accompaniment is perhaps an errant choice; it feels overbearing in the intimate space of the Alma Theatre. However, this is quickly remedied by a fabulously DIY catwalk of bin bags and Henry Hoovers worn as high fashion statement garments in an attempt by Ze Emperor to champion the avant garde fashion industry.
Lighting and set are minimally used, lending space for the actors to shine in their eccentricity, rather than be closed off by too much added material.
A beautifully curated show, EXPÖSED oozes with personality and is jam-packed with wit, well-written jokes and joyfully daft characters. This fabulously ludicrous and hilarious production is a brilliant way to begin 2026’s theatrical season, and deserves many a sold-out run.
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EXPÖSED is at The Alma Tavern and Theatre on January 16-17 at 8pm. Tickets are available at www.tickettailor.com.
All photos: Baby Lamb Productions
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