I love Shakespeare. I love the language, the beauty of a rhyming couplet as it falls off the tongue, and I’ve seen hundreds of performances of his plays. But I’ve never seen anything quite like Rocky the Third.
The reimagining of the 80s classic film Rocky III, creator Rik Brown takes the classic language of the Bard and inserts it into his very own action farce. Joined by Bridget Metherall, who dips in and out of characters with ease, Metherall is delightfully entertaining throughout the performance.
This two-hander is a non-stop romp through the narrative of Rocky III and keeps up the pace of a Hollywood blockbuster as Brown and Metherall continuously change costume, character, all while taking on Brown’s challenging script. The pair are well matched and their comedic timing is brilliant. An exhausting exercise montage is a highlight of the show, and the energy of the pair seems limitless.
In a performance that could become tired after the initial juxtaposition of classical language in a modern setting joke has worn thin, Rocky the Third keeps the audience laughing until the final freeze frame. Brown and Metherall have created a piece that is not just entertaining, but perhaps an entirely new genre of Bard-Blockbuster.
Melbourne International Comedy Festival
Rocky the Third
creator Rik Brown
Venue: The Butterfly Club | 5 Carson Pl Melbourne VIC
Dates: 25 – 31 March 2019
Bookings: www.comedyfestival.com.au
