In Hell with Jesus / Top 40

In this scathing critique of contemporary theatre, queer Bulgarian performer Ivo Dimchev, with an entourage of artists, presents himself as an ageing diva at an audition for his next show. Will it be a casting call, a talk show, or a gig at a New York gay bar where everyone suddenly dies? It doesn’t really matter.

Dimchev skilfully plays with the power he imposes on the candidates and the audience, getting them to perform his songs or asking them boundary-testing questions. “Would you rather sleep with Putin or the Dalai Lama? Be in Hell with Jesus or Heaven with Trump? Be raped by a soldier or the prime minister?”

Dimchev allows absolutely zero room for political correctness in this subversive cabaret show. While his work is sometimes extreme, it is always highly intelligent and fiercely funny.