51 Shades of Maggie Muff: Twelfth Night Theatre

Ever since that hot, kinky, and wildly successful 50 Shades of Grey novel was published, a number of parody shows have, ahem … ‘popped up’.

51 Shades of Maggie Muff is a one-woman show born out of Leesa Harker’s Facebook parody blog called 50 Shades of Red, White and Blue.

If you haven’t read the book, you have certainly heard enough about it.  You are sure to know the main premise and be able to enjoy the parody regardless.

Maggie Muff is a working class girl, desperate to get out of the low-class Manchester estate she’s living in. She loves drinking it up with her best mate ‘Big Sally-Ann’, but even more, she’d love a boyfriend. Her search takes her to the local social security office where she meets a case worker we come to know as ‘Mr Big’.

Now we all know that she should have just kept searching, but Maggie thought she had met the man of her dreams. What she didn’t know was that Mr Big has a ‘Private Room of Pain’ and wants her to sign a contract. In order to have her prince she must give up those things near and dear to her; drinking, smoking, late night shop-lifting, and her ghetto-babe outfits – complete with leopard print stockings over denim shorts that are one-size too small, and ugg boots.

Directed by Terence O’Connell and starring the talented Nikki Britton, this show will shock you, but in a wickedly delightful way. The things that come out of this woman’s mouth are outrageous and would certainly make you blush if you were sitting next to your parents. In fact, the show comes with a warning: “Contains strong language and hilariously vivid descriptions of kinky sex. Not recommended for under 18s or prudes”.

I would have to agree. It is the crudest stuff you will hear on stage, but if you’re not a prude, then this show is a riot! In fact as Maggie will tell you, it’s “piss” funny. The atmosphere in the audience was like a raucous girls’ night enjoying the naughty, potty-mouthed candour.

Britton plays a host of characters, shifting adroitly between the audacious Maggie, dim-witted but good-hearted best friend Big Sally-Ann, sophisticated sounding yet domineering Mr Big, and chain smoking mother; even Lieutenant Columbo made an appearance. Her performance is a tour de force.

The set literally revolves around a giant circular pink and black bed complete with Paris Hilton pillows. Maggie spins the bed around as she changes location.

51 Shades of Maggie Muff is not high-art by any stretch of the imagination, but it is sometimes good to go to the theatre, leave any pretence at the ticket office, and laugh your head off. You know what you’re in for when you read the title, so if you go in with an open-mind, you can expect to have a great time.

51 Shades of Maggie Muff is a fantastic girl’s night and is playing at the Twelfth Night Theatre until May 30.  The show will then tour to Adelaide from June 19 at the Royalty Theatre.