HELP ME!!!!

The Scotsman: HELP ME !!!! ★★★★

You’ve got to feel for Levi. He’s died with unfinished business and, even though he’s managed to spirit himself back to some semblance of life, being a ghost - as we all know - he’s unable to make a sound. It’s just as well, then, that he’s such a vivid and effective mime that he can deploy his audience to solve his problems, search for objects and solutions, and ultimately put his soul to rest - or, perhaps, turn it in a different direction entirely.

Help Me!!! is perhaps what it might feel like to be trapped in an escape room with an excellent mime performer for company. As creator/performer Leo Lion gets our confidence and sympathy, the demands he makes become increasingly intricate: sit back as a passive observer if you like, but get involved and you’ll find yourself guessing codes, searching for items and piecing together clues from the debris strewn across Lion’s set, all under his wordless (and sometimes exasperated) silent direction.

It’s clever stuff, and he’s very funny in his spontaneous interactions. The audience participation, too, is genuinely welcoming: Lion manages to instill a sense of community remarkably quickly among late-night show-goers. He’s a warm, encouraging presence, with a perpetual hangdog neediness as if he’s constantly about to burst into tears, and a remarkable way of tapping quickly into a universal language of signs that surely anyone would grasp.

His overall game is nicely structured into stages and objectives, so we can easily chart where we’re going, and if some of the tasks ultimately feel a little simplistic, then Lion’s overriding aim, surely, is to break down barriers and encourage connection. In those terms, Help Me!!! is an hour of charm, humour and a small dose of mental gymnastics. — David Kettle

BingeFringe Magazine: HELP ME !!!! ★★★★★

If you’ve spent any time around the Niddry St courtyard this Fringe, it is more than likely that you’ve been approached by a mime who needs your help. If you take them up on their request, you’ll find yourself a part of a hilarious and profound immersive seance game-theatre production that addresses mortality, collective responsibility, and the obsessive pursuit of connection to family history.

As you enter the space you are greeted by a family tree, ending with Levi, who you will be helping to contact his great grandfather who died under mysterious circumstances. Levi himself is dead, and we learn that the dead can’t talk, and so he can only communicate via mime, with the audience acting as his mouthpiece, responsible for interpreting his communications. Over the course of the show, you will help Levi traverse his family tree and be possessed by various deceased members of his lineage who each have unfinished business. Only then will you be able to help Levi with his own unfinished business of finally getting the chance to communicate with his great-grandfather. This production is a lot of fun, with a healthy dollop of pathos that tips it over the edge from a great show to an excellent one.

Creator and performer Leo Lion gives a remarkably nimble and emotional performance, transforming from Levi to each family member with dexterity and clarity, portraying a wide range of family members with an admirable commitment to being understood. They are a charismatic performer, eminently watchable no matter which character they are portraying. They are also a skilled mime artist, effectively driving the plot along without words, and building off of the interactions offered up by the audience.

The format of the production is innovative and deeply entertaining, even for those who don’t typically enjoy audience interaction. Lion manages to foster a real air of community between the audience members, nicely underscoring the themes of family and connection inherent to their work. The influence of Yev Gelman’s skilful direction is clear, as the production remains tightly focused throughout, with just enough breathing room for Lion to react and build upon connections with the audience in the moment. Watching and becoming a part of this production was one of the most memorable evenings that I have spent this Fringe, and I will certainly remember it for years to come. I hope that Lion has many more Fringes in the future! 

Somewhere between an escape room, a seance, and a mime show, Help Me!!! strikes the perfect balance. Interactive, hilarious, and touching, this hidden gem of Fringe theatre is an existential must-see, must-do theatrical experience. - Eve Miller