This
is a hilarious, side splittingly funny production. I didn’t leave the
theatre with any new insights into life, nor dramatic moments to ponder
on, but I came out refreshed, happy, and with a sore stomach from
laughing.
The Messiah, written by Patrick Barlow, with additional material by John Ramm, Julian Hough and Jude Kelly harks back to the English comic genius of the Monty Python or the Goons. It was originally written for Barlow’s alter ego Desmond Olivier Dingle, who along with his sidekick RaymondBox (originally Jim Broadbent) produced two man recreations of famous stories for the National Theatre of Brent.
Directed by Tom Gutteridge, The Messiah is a retelling of the Nativity story according to Desmond (Max Gillies) and his hapless helper Raymond Box (David Lee Smith). Rosemary Barr as the opera singer Mrs Flowers completes the trio.
This is light, clean (mostly) humour.
The slapstick comedy works better in real life than on TV as you have
the added benefit of audience reaction (and participation). “What
do you think we are, a statistic?” This is the line that provided some
of the funniest audience participation moments I’ve ever experienced. We
were invited to participate by murmuring at Rome, hah-ing at Caesar,
and shouting at the census. It turned into a mayhem filled shouting
match that dissolved into peals of laughter and a huge round of
applause before interval. And if audience participation scares you – don’t be. This is all inclusive and no one gets picked on! All the classic slapstick and farce elements are there. Raymond has a problem saying big words and breaking the scenery, whilst Desmond is constantly correcting and breaking out of character to talk to the audience and Raymond.
The set (designed by Bryan Woltjen) is mismatch of pieces that look exactly like Desmond made them. ie, fake and apt to break. Max Gillies suited Desmond perfectly. A character so sure in himself and his abilities with the English pomp on top, Gillies
has perfect comic timing. He sparked with life and it was obvious he
was enjoying himself. His facial expressions alone are a joy to watch! His side kick Raymond, played by David Lee Smyth bore the brunt of the jokes. Smyth
is better known at the moment as the face of iinet broadband, and the
sweet guileless looks you see on TV are turned up to full wattage here. The two worked exceptionally well together.
The character of Mrs Flowers (Rosemary Barr) seemed to be an afterthought, as there was little interaction between her and the men. Her
singing was good enough to be plausible, but not fantastic, although it
was unclear as to whether that was intentional or not. However
it’s hard to be critical about this production. I couldn’t tell if they
missed lines or just made them up. If a lighting cue was slow, I wasn’t
sure if that was a mistake or was meant to be like that. Slow changes
for the actors I assume were character driven.
It
is a brilliant piece to introduce teenagers to the theatre – as the
participation and comedy means they are not stuck in silence for two
hours. The show ends on a high, with a feel good factor of 100+. The
students in the theatre thought it was hilarious, with a standing
ovation, and whilst I didn’t join them, I did leave with a broad smile
and a few residual laughs.
Black Swan Theatre Company presents The Messiah By Patrick Barlow
VENUE:
Playhouse Theatre
DATES:
30 June – 22 July 2007 DURATION:
2 hours 10 minutes [including 20 minute interval] TICKETS:
$20 - $45 BOOKINGS: BOCS Ticketing 9484 1133 or www.bocsticketing.com.au
This
is a hilarious, side splittingly funny production. I didn’t leave the
theatre with any new insights into life, nor dramatic moments to ponder
on, but I came out refreshed, happy, and with a sore stomach from
laughing.
