Oli Fuller
Penguin the Fish is everything you could ever want out of this bizarre spectacle. We follow Penguin the Fish as he tells us the story of his life: his fish wife, his fish children, travelling to his fish work in his fish car, the fact that he is definitely not gay, God (played by his shrimp penis) and getting his fish body sliced in half by Moses when he parts the Red Sea. With Penguin the Fish, God the Shrimp and Moses, writer and performer Sean the Cheap explores the tearing of his Jewish identity in a world that increasingly uses his faith to justify a genocide. The show is raw and heartbreaking, while also being wild and hilarious.
Sean is fiendishly alluring, just by looking at them you start to feel pure joy. Stepping in and out of this clown character, you learn everything you need to know about Penguin the Fish and learn everything you could ever want to know about Sean the Cheap. Sean draws you in and is so deeply intelligent while still being utterly ridiculous.
Opening and closing the show with a group prayer (Torn by Natalie Imbruglia) while also making time for a Kaddish (part of the mourning rituals in Judaism),allowing the audience time to openly mourn all they have lost. One minute they have the audience give them aftercare in the form of fish food, the next we’re hit with the heartbreaking quote: “If I use all the piles of ash from my ancestors to fill all the tiny holes I have in my body, will I finally be whole enough to scream out? Never again is now, not in my name”. Sean is raw and real, and an expert in clownery. This show is a work of art.
Penguin the Fish is a love letter to Judaism, a joyfully silly display of drag clownery that will have you laughing until your jaw hurts, and a much needed reminder that with no justice, there can be no peace.
Recommended Drink: A salty martini with a fish food rim.
Performances of Penguin the Fish have now concluded at Wandsworth Arts Fringe 2025.
Image Credit: Holly Revell
Jake Mace
