Megasquirt Comedy Rave Tackles Gen Z Anomie

The comedy duo Megasquirt, comprised of Ashley Blair and Drew Reilly, presented their show "Fully Loaded" at the Underbelly, Cowgate in Edinburgh, offering a late-night "comedy rave" that satirizes "gen Z anomie." The performance, which began at an "ungodly hour," aimed to address existential questions such as "How to feel whole in an empty world?" through a blend of music and comedic sketches. Blair and Reilly, described as Brooklyn imports, transformed the venue into a space for "queer(ish) celebration-cum-sendup" of contemporary anxieties, with lyrics like "Everything is empty / Life is a hole / You gotta fill it up." Their style was likened to refugees from Andy Warhol's Factory, yet their comedy was characterized as "more now."

While the show initially suggested a "generational revolution," it quickly became apparent that Blair and Reilly, both alumni of Chicago's Second City improv theater, were primarily focused on eliciting laughter rather than instigating societal change. Their central premise posits that contemporary life is devoid of inherent meaning. The performance included flashbacks to their characters as "alienated schoolkids." One notable sketch depicted a dinner scene where parents struggled to conceal their mutual animosity, characterized by a "silly symphony of clinking cutlery and ASMR tuts and sighs." This portrayal of familial discord served as a backdrop for the characters' search for alternative ways of living.

"Fully Loaded" explored various coping mechanisms for this perceived void. These included a romantic entanglement with an "inverted Centaur Boyfriend," the subject of one of their songs, and the formation of a "megachurch" as a means to address a "spiritual chasm." The show's title, "Fully Loaded," suggests a comprehensive or intense approach to these themes. The performance's setting at the Underbelly, Cowgate, a venue known for hosting a variety of performances during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, provided a fitting backdrop for this unconventional comedic exploration. The duo's ability to connect with their audience, described as an "adoring audience of your peers," was a key element of the show's success in creating a "pulsating celebration."