"Some of us will die." Earthalujah! "But we will have freedom again." Not many comedy shows ask us to sacrifice ourselves to save the planet. Then again, it's not clear whether Reverend Billy's act is still comedy. Since I last saw him two years ago, American activist and faux-preacher Bill Talen has rubbed out the line between spoof evangelism and the real thing. In his new show, backed by the gospel Earthalujah choir, levity and theatricality can't disguise the passion behind Billy's message – that "consumerism-hyphen-militarism" is destroying us.
If that sounds cheesy – well, the easily embarrassed should steer clear. The hippie spirit of Hair is revived in Talen and his choir's rhapsodic invocations of nature, neighbourhood and togetherness. The lyrics are seldom comical. "The sky it burns, the blackbirds cry / in this world where I will die," runs one number, while another quotes Vonnegut on mankind's existential confusion. Talen's sermon, the show's centrepiece, is likewise delivered straight(ish). His mannerisms are televangelist caricature, but the text – delivered with eyes closed as if channelling spirits – is from the heart.
As a call to arms, the show is only partly successful; its lyrics aren't always audible; its interactivity (the audience's own stories of nature are solicited) a little strenuous. But Talen's account of the five Liverpool "grannies" he met campaigning to save their community from redevelopment is touching. And there are moments of ridiculous theatre – Billy's spasm of desire for "a hair product" in Tesco's – that nail consumerism more effectively than any singalong. I'm all for seriousness of purpose, but if the world is to be saved, humour has a part to play too.
