Mercy Madonna of Malawi

Would a British company have had the nerve to stage this show? It seems unlikely. Billed as an “African Annie”, this outrageous take on the pop queen’s adoption bid comes just weeks after her successful appeal.

And by offering an African perspective on a situation that has been thoroughly dissected in the global media, it goes further than any outsider would likely dare.

The show appears in the dance section of the Fringe programme, but any expectations of a sensitive physical exploration of international adoption will be dashed as soon as “Madonna” – played by a gangly black man in a blonde wig and cheap nightie – starts singing “Last night I dreamed of Malawi” to the tune of La Isla Bonita.

Co-created by Scottish musician John Kielty and reggae star Ben Michael Mankhamba, this is a jukebox musical with a difference. While some might balk at the very idea – it is, after all, telling the story of two real-life toddlers, one of whom is played by a man in a nappy with ‘adopted’ daubed on his chest – it is tremendously entertaining.

Chuckles greet every cheeky appropriation of the singer’s lyrics and melodies (and one point gonorrhea and diarrhoea are rhymed in a corrupted Material Girl), and the cultural gulf between Madonna and Malawi is illustrated from the moment her digitally-distorted vocals give way to African drums and joyful harmony singing.

Whether this justifies the anti-adoption view the show ultimately presents (and indeed whether this reflects the views of most Malawians) is, of course, another thing altogether.

Nonetheless, the show’s a hoot. See it before she sues.

A version of this review first appeared in The Herald.