Many of us have had friendships with very controlling people. That unpredictable friend who blows hot and cold with you, builds you up and takes you down, makes you do things you don’t want to do, and who doesn’t like it when you make decisions without consulting them. But what if you also fancy that friend, and would do anything to be their partner, and they know that? How far could they push their controlling behaviour before you’d snap? Writer and director Ted Walliker explores this in Ron, an absurd, violent, queer genre-bending monologue, currently on at London’s Riverside Studios.

Wallinker plays Tony, a stand-up comic who, during a performance, veers off script and recounts his relationship with Mike, his great friend since childhood. Mike is controlling, unpredictable and prone to very erratic behaviour. Tony has long harboured romantic feelings for Mike, feelings that are unrequited. Mike knows of Tony’s feelings for him and takes full advantage of the situation.

This comedy of errors begins when Mike and Tony’s drunken order at McDonald’s one morning is messed up. The staff member dealing with their subsequent complaint is called Ron, and when his response to their issue is deemed inadequate, they decide to brutally kidnap him, assuming that he is Ronald McDonald, founder of the chain. This sets off a series of events of ever-increasing absurdity.

Ron is completely different to anything you’ll have seen before. That’s refreshing, but Wallinker’s complete disregard for any theatrical convention, plot or script means you may also at times feel bewildered and question the point of the hour-long show. Nothing is inspiring, enlightening or life-affirming, no lessons to be learned. That said, Wallinker is talented, charismatic, unpredictable, easy-on-the-eye, most often trouser-less, and definitely has something different to offer. It´s funny at times, cringy at others. Wallinker´s movement is excellent, and he voices a few different characters – it’s easy to forget he’s the only person on stage. He’s obviously put a lot of effort into this play. I felt Tony could have explained his love for Mike a little more clearly and earlier on in the show. Once this became truly apparent, the show was easier to follow. The set is excellent, both the minimal and maximal versions. Be prepared for a gamut of emotions ranging from “What am I doing here?” to “This is excellent, everyone should see it.” I ended up at the latter, however, there was a journey to get there. Queer theatre in all respects.