Messiah Complex is a funny, intelligent and bawdy look at those people society rightly or wrongly (and usually it’s a bit of both) looks up to. He takes in the vacuity of celebrity culture (almost shamefacedly admitting to being a part of this particular problem), concluding we should chose our own heroes as if not they may be foisted upon us.
The show is loosely based around his admiration of Gandhi, Che Guevera, Jesus and Malcolm X. All great men, though their flaws ranged from pimping to something very close to uxoricide. But there are many digressions ranging from Brand’s wonder at the immensity of the universe to his belief in God to the pure evil that is the Daily Mail. I also learned that Hitler and part-Jewish gay philosopher Wittgenstein were both educated at the same school. Which obviously means something, but no one’s really quite sure what.
There are some great jokes – I always feel it’s pointless writing them down as on the page they lose 90% of their power which, especially with someone like Brand, comes from the performance. Messiah Complex is a wildly entertaining, funny, educational and strangely uplifting evening.
Russell Brand – Messiah Complex will be at the Brighton Centre on March 15, 2014.