TAMP
Reviewed by Arthur Bullock
The vibe of TAMP is “hygiene made hilarious.”
Personal hygiene can be a sensitive (and oddly divisive) topic. Some people want to
keep it quiet to avoid awkwardness or embarrassment, while others are inclined to talk
about it openly as if it's no big deal.
TAMP chooses to talk about it, and through a very silly lens at that: what if a tampon
was self-aware, but had no idea what their true purpose was? Instead, the eponymous
tampon — because their name is Tamp — wants to make friends with the audience,
and anticipates a childlike adventure filled with cotton candy, roller coasters, and
magical medieval castles. If you're familiar with tampons and their intended use, you
might think you know what happens next, but the way it plays out in TAMP is entirely
unpredictable.
TAMP has only one performer, in-costume as TAMP the whole way through. However,
through clever use of puppetry and voice-overs, multiple other characters appear during
the show. It has a minimalistic but clever set, brought to life by surprisingly vivid sound
and lighting effects.
Fair warning: it also uses the audience as characters, and at least one audience
member will be brought on-stage to assist Tamp. Nothing terrible happens to the
audience member — they’re just asked to play along and participate — but it’s still
something to keep in mind if you’re not a fan of that.
TAMP is a show that’s not afraid to lean into its premise, strange though it may seem on
the surface, and be the best version of itself that it can be. I really respect that, and I
think that everyone should go see this show; it’ll definitely make you laugh, and it’ll
almost certainly surprise you as well.
Age Suitability: Mature (ages 18+)
Warnings: Coarse Language
Venue: The Staircase | Elaine May
Special Performances: Mask Mandatory
Genre: Theatre—Comedy, Storytelling/Solo Show
Playwright/Performer
Claud Spadafora
Director
Pascal Simmons
