Part Family Channel Movie, part Team America, and part Much Dance ’95, Broken Sex Doll delivers everything you’d expect from a “sci-fi musical sex comedy” (yes, you read that right).

Broken Sex Doll, written by Andy Thompson with music by Anton Lipovetsky, is essentially a Britney Spears inspired orgy with original music, nuanced humour, robots, and a spectacular cast.

Now this may sound crazy, and it is, but Broken Sex Doll is set the year 2136, where our culture of incessant sharing is still present, but amplified. Humans and alternate beings (such as robot sex dolls, cyborgs, and androids) are able to share sensory experiences called feelies. Sort of like 4D YouTube, these experiences can be purchased and the top “feelie stars” reap rewards and popularity.

In this world, the King (Neezar) is a rock star who consistently produced top rated feelies. Inhabitants are so over stimulated by feelies they can download that they have grown tired of their own mundane lives. But as advanced as feelie are, the technology has not been able to capture the final sense – touch.

That is until Darryl (Benjamin Elliot) goes in for some routine upgrades and meets Ginger (Gili Roskies), a sex robot and his nurse. Darryl asks her out to dinner to give his new implants a test drive. They end up recording a feelie of their theatrically hilarious intimate moments. Immediately skyrocketing into feelie fame, Darryl and Ginger have somehow created a feelie that finally captures touch.

Their feelie, fittingly called “That’s amazing,” beats out all of The Kings feelies and excites (double entendre intended) everyone who watches it. “That’s amazing” becomes such a sensation that people are keen to find out who this everyday guy, Darryl, really is.

With original musical numbers underscoring the humour and naughtiness of the performance, this musical separates itself from the typical cheesy musical feel. The only way the songs could’ve been better, is if they were performed live. Live accompaniment would have amped up the energy of this already extroverted performance.

This is the play you wished you could see when you were 13 and would do anything to convince your parents to let you. Combining elements of naughtiness and vulgarity while still maintaining the plot and original musical numbers, this musical delivers a bit of the “can I really be watching this in public?!” feeling. Not recommended for children (or tweens) and definitely NSFW, Broken Sex Doll does seem to limit itself in terms of audience due to the nature of the content. Not exactly something you’d bring the kids to, the performance’s crude (and in my opinion, hilarious) jokes about anything and everything related to sex, an older crowd may not be drawn to the Beavis and Butthead bluntness found throughout the performance.

That being said, the music was impressive, the cast was strong (notably the best part of this production), and the digital elements highlighted, rather than detracted, from the minimalist modular set. Running a bit to long for my liking, clocking in over an hour and a half, Broken Sex doll could have condensed some of the scenes to increase it’s punchiness.

Broken Sex Doll is a dose of something different. A great step forward for theatre that isn’t exactly typical, this performance will definitely leave you satisfied.

Broken Sex Doll runs until March 24th at the Cultch. Tick­ets at thecultch.com or call 604.251.1363

“You there, with the white shirt, smug look on your face, arms crossed, come down here,” quips Malvolio, pointing in my direction. Finding myself suddenly on stage, I gripped tightly onto a chair as I readied myself to help Malvolio, played by Tim Crouch, meet his demise.

I, Malvolio, directed by Karl James and A Smith, is a romp through Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night told from the perspective of Malvolio, the misunderstood butler. Drawing the audience in through hilarious interaction and improvisation, Crouch allows us to enter Malvolio’s stream of consciousness.

Throughout the play, Crouch watches the audience carefully and is not afraid to call members out based on their posture, movements or dress. He gets the audience to laugh while examining their own actions. By drawing attention to how petty or insecure people can be, the play’s dark humour gets spectators to pause and consider their own day to day actions and motives. As the star of this one-man show, Crouch commands the audience’s attention while convincing, without coercing, them to participate in their seats and on stage. This was how I ended up a part of the play, if only for a few short minutes.

Before I could think twice about leaving my seat, myself and another audience member found ourselves on stage, with Malvoilio standing on a chair, head in a noose. Surprisingly, given these props, Crouch made me feel at ease by carrying on with the show as if nothing was different.

Showcasing the humour and “INSANITY!” (as Crouch put it) in Shakespeare’s classic, Crouch finds a way to dance along the line between theatre and stand-up comedy. His acting achieves the perfect sweet spot between comedy and pain by taking the humourous elements of a Shakespearian comedy and infusing them with a bit of darkness. With the audience experiencing laughter, deep thought, and at times, discomfort in just 60 minutes, this play will leave you hanging on for Malvolio’s revenge.

I, Malvolio proves that Shakespeare’s work is still relevant today. Forcing the audience to reflect on themselves during the play, I, Malvolio is about what drives us as humans. Crouch’s demeanor on stage could not be described as gentle or understanding, but it is this manner that allows the audience to be introspective about their own lives.

I, Malvolio is on as a part of PuSh Fes­ti­val until February 10. Playing at the Cultch’s Historic Theatre (1895 Venable St), more infor­ma­tion and ticket details can be found online.