Little Lark of London

“Freddy Krueger wouldn’t last five minutes in Newport”

Ignacio Lopez: Señor Self-Destruct has quite the interesting description – comedian Lopez, self-identifying as “Spain’s Best Export™,” wants to destroy himself with the goal of creating a better version of him, which he hopes is “leaner, smarter” and “funnier.” The show begins with Lopez discussing his love of Nightmare on Elm Street as a child, which is a pretty unusual movie for children to be a fan of, but it certainly led to some funny interactions Lopez had while growing up. Who didn’t play a games pretending to be Freddy Krueger as a child?

There is a whole bit on how Freddy Krueger wouldn’t survive Newport, as it is, as Lopez describes, “a stabby town.” Imagining the infamous horror villain in the situation is quite amusing and is really brought to life through Lopez’s comedy. I have to admit, I’ve never witnessed a jumpscare in a stand-up comedy show, so it was quite impressive for Lopez to pull one off using only lights and his voice, leading to screams that quickly dissolved into laughs from audience members. 

At one point, Lopez points out the guitar that is on stage with him, referring to it as “Chekov’s Guitar,” joking that he won’t actually use it before picking it up and singing a song about being a barman in Spain and hating British people. As Lopez claims, those living in the UK are “all pissheads,” especially at music festivals, where he argues it is socially acceptable to get absolutely shitfaced in a field. This leads to an unforgettable bit about the power of festival fabric wristbands that still has me laughing when remembering it. 

Without going into too many spoilers on the rest of the show, there are a range of topics that Lopez discusses, including the strange things NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) was doing with spiders in the 1960s, the effect that social media and technology, especially MySpace, has had on his life and the struggles of being on a long-haul flight, which he compares to a MegaBus in the air without WiFi. There are also some more bits about Lopez’s personal life, including being over competitive on Richard Osman’s House of Games and becoming tech support for his parents. 

As one might expect with a show focused on self-destruction, there are some darker moments, but Lopez does warn the audience about them beforehand, giving them the opportunity to leave if they do not feel comfortable. What follows is Lopez discussing his own suicidal thoughts and ideations and those of others, looking at the different ways that people kill themselves and how these attempts have been prevented, including gas ovens in the UK and restrictions of paracetamol. There is also a bit of audience participation, with Lopez asking the audience what antidepressants they’re on and adding on with his own experiences if he’s tried that particular medication as well. It’s quite amusing to have people calling out things like “sertraline” and “fluoxetine” to cheers from fellow audience members. 

A surprising delight? Lopez’s love for designing his own merch. Even though it had sold out by the time he arrived at Leicester Square Theatre, Lopez takes several minutes to show audience members the details that went into creating little packages for fans, all inside a custom VHS tape case, with each item inside referencing a joke from the show. There is also a shirt that depicts Lopez as Freddy Krueger with the title “A Nightmare in Newport” emblazoned across the image.

Ultimately, Ignacio Lopez: Señor Self-Destruct is a silly yet smart show about figuring out who you are – even if it means getting rid of the parts of the person you used to be. Lopez is a fantastic comedian and I look forward to seeing more from him in the future – especially more songs!

Ignacio Lopez: Señor Self-Destruct has finished touring, but Lopez will be bringing both Juan Solo’s Excellet Adventures in Space and a Work-in-Progress to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August. For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.