An American preacher with a white suit, bouffant hair and a radical agenda, Rev Billy Talen isn’t an actual priest but – though he looks and sounds like a pastiche of a southern revivalist preacher and cracks a lot of jokes – he isn’t exactly a comedian either. He heads up the Church of Stop Shopping, a ‘post-religious church’ with a 50-strong gospel choir and thousands of followers around the world which embraces humour and performance as means of genuine activism. He’s no stranger to the inside of police cells.
Based in New York, Rev Billy has been spreading his message – a combination of anti-consumerism, environmentalism and cooperativity summed up in the call ‘Earthalujah!’ – since 1999. But since the economic crisis of 2008 the pace has picked up. If this all sounds a bit worthy, well, it is – admirable, in fact. But it’s also fantastically entertaining, even uplifting. Talen is a charismatic, often hilarious preacher, whether recounting his own struggles with the temptations of excessive use of hairspray or calling down righteous fury on behalf of Mother Earth. The intensity of his emotions is outlandish – but also moving because, for all the absurd trappings, the message is vital, the warnings of impending armageddon sincere.
The best cabaret performance entertains but it also reminds us of what’s possible when all the people in a room decide to collaborate. The result is a show that isn’t just enjoyable or interesting but empowering, reminding us of the power we all have if we choose to use it. Rev Billy Talen’s work delivers that in spades, and encourages us to expand that awareness to cover the whole world. Earthalujah!