The Terminator Comes to Waterloo
I’ll Be Back is a parody of The Terminator & Terminator 2, and tells the story of a Terminator built with Windows 95 who must time travel back to Dudley on a quest to prevent the destruction of humanity, and to discover the truth about her life. The show is an action-packed 60 minutes of apocalyptic devastation, robotic transformation, emotional reunion, and how a plan formed in Blockbusters can save the world. It is a journey through the space-time continuum and a mission to stop a nuclear holocaust, guided by the wisdom of Microsoft’s beloved/detested virtual assistant Clippy.
All characters are played by Justine Malone, who creates scenes through physical storytelling and multimedia. The show balances action with emotion and shifts seamlessly between comedy and pathos. It is perfect for small-scale theatres which have a reputation for taking risks and programming new work.
Malone says: “I created this show because of my love of the Terminator films, and also because it was the most ambitious theatrical solo show I could imagine making. There don’t appear to be any existing stage adaptations or live theatre parodies of Terminator, so this is a great opportunity to bring these stories to the stage for potentially the very first time. The films are windows into the pop culture of the 80s and 90s, and touch on themes of love, AI, time travel, fast-paced action sequences, incredible soundtracks, all whilst playing on the universal fear that the machines will one day turn on us. The show reflects all of these important elements. The first two Terminator films have a number of iconic moments and lines which are very well-known, and in I’ll Be Back, these are recreated with the comic edge of being set in the West Midlands. The AI element feels particularly pertinent in the current climate, given how quickly this technology is moving.
“I pride myself on making funny, emotional, complex one hour theatre shows with heart. My ambition is to continue to develop the show so that it can play mid-scale theatres and tour internationally. And, one day, to come on stage and see Arnold Schwarzenegger in the audience, with his single red eye gazing up at me. Then I’ll know I’ve made it.”
The Glitch, Waterloo from 14th – 19th January
Tickets: £14
Time: 7pm (+2pm Sat)
Booking and full details: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/vaultcreativearts/1855529
