A review of Baby Lame: Hit Me Baby One More Lame!

I don’t think anything could have quite prepared me for cult hit Baby Lame‘s Hit Me Baby One More Lame! And that’s okay, because what a completely unexpected, off-the-chain show that had me laughing until it hurt. It’s drag but better.

Vibe

As we entered the venue, Baby Lame was there dressed in full schoolgirl Britney Spears garb to welcome us all with air kisses – and they then get the entire audience to cheer upon the arrival of any latecomers.

The vibe of the show is Britney, bitch – with added space travel, romance, murder and pop insanity, crudeness and a large dose of audience participation.

The show itself

Hit Me Baby One More Lame! is pure unadulterated Britney chaos, and with so much random stuff going on that I actually laughed more at this show than any other so far this Fringe. And that’s saying a lot!

Baby Lame’s Britney is all over the place, literally climbing chairs all the way to the back of the audience, and speaking to whichever manager is currently on her employ.

Underneath all the insanity and chaos, there’s a narrative being told, but one that’s so far removed from reality that it’s absolutely spectacular. There are so many random moments with video sequences, Britney soundbites and lip syncs. I particularly enjoyed the steering wheel segment where each audience member gets to drive their own imaginary car over Justin Timberlake. What a win! Outrageous.

The main rule of the show is that whenever the name Jamie Lynn Spears is mentioned, the audience has to shout ‘C*NT!’ And, they very willingly do (as do I). We get to see Britney’s dad horror movie-style, and there’s Britney’s eventful journey to Earth from Planet Louisiana – in which Baby Lame throws their entire body across the stage not once, not twice, but three times. It’s excessive and looks painful – how are they doing this EVERY night?!

The character of badass sci-fi bitch Sigourney Weaver also makes an appearance, but… there’s something going on with her bum. You really have to see it to believe it. And if that wasn’t enough, we get to meet and feel sympathy for Britney’s best friend, the fateful Duckie, played by an audience member, and… well, I guess you’ll see if you go.

Probably the most unhinged part of the show is where Britney takes out a K-Fed doll, with his “sexy weasel face”, asks if she should get married to him, and then makes love to the doll by shoving it up their ass. It’s a full-on sequence of events you can’t unsee, and the shock factor is definitely there – but again, it’s hilarious.

There’s one sweet moment, where we get to see a photo of young Baby Lame, before Baby Lame realised all that they could be – and the audience participation reaches its peak when a few of us are given masks and asked to get on stage as Baby Lame’s younger self. It’s odd finding yourself suddenly dancing on stage, but the vibes are good fun and everyone seems really into it, so you leave feeling uplifted.

Overall

Baby Lame is an unstoppable force of nature I never knew I needed in my life, with this completely unhinged and off-the-chain offering. Whether you’re a Britney fan or not, you won’t regret getting yourself to the Pleasance to see this one, as Britney in drag is nothing new, but seeing it like this… well, it’s uproarious fun, if incredibly silly and juvenile.