Review: Demi Adejuyigbe

When a performer promises to deliver a stunt, literally announcing said stunt in the title of their show, it’s hard not to set your expectations high. But in his Fringe debut, Demi Adejuyigbe embraces and plays with this loaded sense of anticipation, orchestrating an hour that is as thoughtful as it is joyously absurd.  

Demi Adejuyigbe Is Going To Do One (1) Backflip is a show that contains multitudes – there’s music, dancing, rapping, a punching robot, a presentation on jazz, celebrity guest appearances, interactive elements and so much more. Adejuyigbe leans heavily on pop culture references, memes and internet lore throughout but he masterfully weaves this into his storytelling, placing emphasis on the strength of his own writing, as well as the show’s direction by internet sketch comedy favourites BriTANicK.

So does he do the titular backflip? It might seem like a cop-out to say that it doesn’t matter either way but that’s exactly it – Adejuyigbe expertly engineers the crescendo leading up to ‘the big moment’ in a way that ensures the audience are fully behind him. It all contributes to the wider question that hangs in the air; what kind of performer does Adejuyigbe want to be? 

Those familiar with his content on platforms like Vine may recognise the occasional bit or sketch, but the beauty lies in the seamless connectivity and overall structure of the show. In the end, Adejuyigbe forces us to reckon with the notion that even though we, as audiences, consistently demand bigger and better, it’s the space given to moments of vulnerability and self-reflection that provide the real magic.