Meet Mayor Max is a one man documentary style solo show written and performed by Alex Robins who regales the audience with the implausible but true story of how a dog became Mayor of a small town named Idyllwild and how the unlikely hero’s rise to fame becomes a symbol not only for the local community but a much wider ambition to make the world a better place.
The story is a compelling and has many layers as the story unfolds. What starts as a tale of a local pet competition soon unfolds as we hear how Robin’s himself visits Idyllwild, meets the people of the town, develops friendships with the owner and mastermind behind Max’s original competition entry, Phyllis and this takes up the first half of the show. This section is joyful, but the joy originates in its simplicity and put simply my love of hearing about dogs and looking at pictures of them. The show then takes an unexpected darker turn, exploring chronic pain, organised ‘religion’ and questions what actually has the power to heal. It is an unexpected turn when the show goes down the organised religion route and whilst Robin’s own feelings about his experience with organised religion is clear what is more ambiguous is his opinion on Phyllis, her declaration that she is god and her claims that she can heal. This ambiguity is as fascinating as it is frustrating, are we being asked to see her as a charismatic eccentric, someone genuinely deluded or something more complicated? The show leaves that question deliberately open although I found myself wanting a little more insight into Robin’s own feelings towards her.
Robins is a wonderful storyteller, most of the show is told in the first person as he speaks from his own experiences but occasionally he transforms into the main man, well dog himself, as he stands behind the podium, complete with the dog ears. His way with words means that the audience can easily picture exactly the scene he is setting. In the first part of the show it is peppered with clues of what may come, the occasional mention of pain or the reference to some of Phyliss’ beliefs but they are cleverly steered away from until they become more relevant to the plot. In retrospect these moments are carefully planted allowing the second half to feel like a natural development rather than a different show.
The set is a clever one, a simple podium for Max to deliver his missives from and a projector where the audience can initially ooh and aah over pictures of Max, and later see Alex and Max together. This helps draw the audience into the story immediately. The photographs serve as visual evidence of the extraordinary story we are hearing about and quickly reinforces that however improbable it sounds it really happened and furthermore seeing pictures of Alex with Max and his owners helps place our storyteller at the centre of it.
Meet Mayor Max is an unexpected layered story that begins as a joyful tale about a very popular dog and gradually becomes something more complex. Robin’s storytelling and the production’s simple but effective use of photographs allow the audience to become invested in Max and the community around him, while the darker exploration of pain, belief and healing gives the story surprising depth. I was occasionally left wanting a little more clarity around some of the people at the heart of the story, but there is something undeniably charming about a show that can make a dog becoming mayor feel both completely ridiculous and strangely meaningful.
Meet Mayor Max is on at Pleasance Courtyard from 12:30-13:30 each day. To find out more and to book tickets you can visit the Pleasance website.
If you like this review you might also like my review of Bog Witch, Cvntclave and Texas Annie.