Viva Forever

Glenn Wool paces the stage looking like a road-weary trucker in a faded band tee and leather waistcoat, using his booming, rich baritone to mount a defense of free speech that is far more thoughtful than the typical culture-war ranting. The core of his argument is a plea to let things you dislike simply exist, a philosophy he puts into practice by playing the Spice Girls song of the same title multiple times before the show.

Released in 2020 by Stand Up! Records and directed by Barry Castagnola, the hour finds the Canadian-born expat nesting in the United Kingdom and preparing for fatherhood. This shift in his personal life brings a newfound focus on the passage of time. He explains his strategy of pretending certain artists died early (such as Eddie Murphy and Prince) to shield his younger partner from their late-career declines, contrasting them with Freddie Mercury, who managed to die before entering any self-indulgent musical phases.

Wool also wrestles with historical hangovers, noting how European politics and family lineage still dictate modern battle lines, from his Irish grandmother holding a grudge over The Troubles to Germany outshining the United Kingdom on refugee humanity. The material was originally developed during a run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe at the Monkey Barrel venue.