Rich Fulcher wowed Soho audiences this week with Tiny Acts of Rebellion at London’s Soho Theatre, and Velveteer Ashley was there on Wednesday to capture the whole thing. We don’t yet know if the show will return, but if it doesn’t, you can read her review of its last stand below!

The lights of the grandiose Soho Theatre dimmed as Rich Fulcher’s booming American voice overtook the room. Fulcher, as energetic as he’s come to be known, excitedly jumped onto the stage, ushering in the beginning of his Tiny Acts of Rebellion show.

Having only seen Edinburgh warm-up gigs in the summer of 2011, I went into the theatre unsure of what to expect from the Fulch. His turnout was impressive; in addition to what appeared to be an almost sold out theatre, TVO regulars Tony Way and Simon Farnaby were in attendance as well!

As the video installations commenced, Fulcher, addressing his Tiny Actors as such, explained his rebellious mantra. A Tiny Actor, one who actively commits Tiny Acts of Rebellion, needs little training to accrue such a title. “Protests take months”, Fulcher explained, “Whereas unbuckling your seatbelt on an aeroplane takes only a few seconds!” His enticing proposition appeals to the looming, underlying laziness within us all.

Once his audience appeared captivated, Rich continued. Following the general pace of the eponymous Tiny Acts book, timeless bits such as Writing Your Own Do Not Disturb Sign came next. Rich had a man in the crowd write his own Disturbing insignia. Wednesday night’s brilliant result? Do Not Disturb, for I Do Not Exist. 

The front row of a Rich Fulcher show is always a dangerous place to sit, and Fulcher ensured that this night’s audience was as aware of that fact as I. An unsuspecting man sat at the brim of the stage was chosen at random by Fulcher, who was acting in this case as “the man” to whom the Tiny Acts needed to be stuck; the poor bystander was then made to put his Tiny Act knowledge to the test in public. Lets just say one hopes the man really does enjoy red wine as much as he’d let on to surely baffled bar patrons.

Rich walked his audience through supermarket and shopping etiquette, and Arnab Chandra, Rich’s trusty sidekick, came to the shocking realisation on stage that rape is illegal. Who knew?! Arnab – on top-form throughout the night – truly added to the zaniness of the show; the comedian donning a tutu on stage is definitely a sight worth seeing! Rich and Arnab’s crafted repertoire was a brilliant mix of improv and detestation amongst the two men, and the results are chaotic and hilarious.

Though Rich has been doing the Tiny Acts show for ages, this run at the Soho Theatre seems Rich’s swiftest and most polished attempt. With the aid of a massive video screen, Rich was able to bring the greatest aspects of his Tiny Acts, their ‘nonsensical juxtaposition’ as Arnab described it, to life. Rich’s most poignant statement of the night was allotted its own slide: I Hate Whites. Classics never die, eh?

For a sneaky peek at what Arnab and Rich got up to backstage take a look at Arnab’s video.

Remember, you can always pick up a copy of the novel that started it all in the TVO Amazon Store.