The Coro, Ulverston, 4th March 2025

Warning: this review may contain spoilers for Buffy the Vampire Slayer – however, you’ve had over 20 years to watch it now, so maybe don’t get too worked up about it, you had your chance, yeah?

A one-man romp through all seven seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, delivered by everyone’s favourite vampire – no, not Angel, Spike!

Written and performed by Brendan Murphy, Buffy ReVamped is a vibrant, laugh-out-loud retelling of all 144 episodes of the hit 90s supernatural drama, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Told from the perspective of Spike, Buffy’s vampiric nemesis-turned-ally-turned-whatever-you’d-call-that-weird-creepy-relationship-they-had-at-the-end-there, Brendan Murphy’s spectacular character work (and his inspired selection of wigs, weapons and wardrobe) also brings an additional cast of over 20 of your favourite Scoobies, victims, and villains to life, to re-enact the series in a manner more reminiscent of a variety show than a monologue. His engaging narrative style, encompassing elements ranging from original poetry (“bloody awful” one might say) to military debriefings (he really took the Initiative with that one) makes the 70-minute show feel closer to 7.

Indeed, whilst the promotional material for the show may create an expectation of a granular, nit-picking account of everything that ever happened on screen (which may be off-putting to those unfamiliar with the original sacred text), the rich variety of storytelling methods, and Murphy’s improvisational wit, will enrapture even those who have never seen a single episode. I speak on this with authority: my boyfriend, an individual bereft of any knowledge whatsoever of slayers, Spike and soul-curses, accompanied me to the performance, and he was so enchanted that, the moment it finished, he demanded that we watch the first episode of Buffy ASAP. However, this is not to say that die-hard fans are neglected in favour of universal entertainment for the unenlightened: Murphy slips (or, indeed, crowbars) in more references to the extended Buffyverse than you can shake a stake at. If he neglected to recall any of top-100-best-moments, I’ll eat my Doublemeat Palace novelty baseball-cap.

Though an unqualified delight in every other regard, it must be noted that the “in-universe” premise of the show is somewhat confusing. Murphy, as Spike, begins the performance by experiencing some sort of resurrection, despite the fact that, canonically, as of the final season of Angel, he is not currently dead – or at least any deader than any other vampire. This resurrection is revealed to be the result of a prophecy, in which Spike is fated to save the world from certain doom (possibly), in the year 2016, or maybe 2020 – neither of which really explains why the resurrection is occurring in 2025. However, this exposition lasts no longer than five minutes, and does nothing to diminish the joy that Murphy delivers in this hilarious homage to the (in my head, at least) undisputed greatest supernatural drama of this millennium and the last.

Verdict: By turns joyful, tragic, irreverent and insightful, this rapid-fire romp through the best of Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a marvellous tribute to the original show, full-to-bursting with the trademark humour and humanity that has kept the original show at the heart of paranormal pop culture. Murphy’s obvious “fluffy bunny feelings” for all things Buffy is infectious, and his tour has no doubt left a wave of rewatches in its wake – and, indeed, first-time watches for the baffled yet enthralled uninitiates in the audience. 9/10.

Sophie Simpson

One final note: the performance I went to took place shortly following the passing of Michelle Trachtenberg, and I was heartened to note that Murphy delivered a brief, respectful tribute to her and her life at the end of the show. It really highlighted the best of the Buffy fandom, its warmth and the community it has created for over two decades.