October 22, 2007
The late slot at the BT has long been a two-edged sword. What should be a welcome opportunity for students to try new writing, experimental theatre and short, pithy plays often turns into a battle by tired actors to satisfy a tired audience demanding an engaging plot and vivid characterisation from forty minutes of theatre. How refreshing, then, that Sam Caird and Jack Chedburn’s conceit of meta-textual interaction between two disenchanted bodyguards to the “old guard” of superstardom comprising Roussos, Elton John et al, and those literary heavywieghts Franz Kafka and Samuel Beckett, is well pitched to respond to the particular challenge posed by this slot. This is a show which fully engages the audience from the word go, and provides extensive scope for performances of depth and variety.
The play benefits from a comprehensively strong cast. Laura Hanna’s wry and reserved characterisation presents the ideal antithesis to Chedburn’s adolescent narcissism. Will Cudmore, doubling as Kafka and Beckett, displays great versatility – although his affected Irish brogue and piercing glare while in the guise of Beckett leave a somewhat more lasting impression than his rather wordy Kafka. Despite this, Cudmore injects a valuable burst of energy into the show, and revels in delivering many of its best lines. Special mention must also go to the relish he displays in threatening a visibly cowed Chedburn with a banana – an overt reference to Krapp’s Last Tape, in which the same device is used.
The set and lighting reflect the meta-textual overtones of the script, with the generic backstage clutter germaine to all theatres spread amply across the stage. The strength of the direction lies in its subtlety, which leaves the cast free to enjoy the humour of the dialogue. As for the script, its high points include striking images, such as that of Dame Shirley Bassey demolishing a spit-roasted ox, a palpably embarrassing telephone conversation with a vividly masculine would-be seductress (ironically credited as “Lady” in the programme and played with zest by Caird) and Elton John absconding in an ambulance with a debilitated Roussos. The authors occasionally get carried away with their own arcana and on these occasions the pace slows a little. In all, however, the highs predominate, making this play a triumph for the late slot. Let us hope this isn’t the last time Demis announces his final tour.
The play benefits from a comprehensively strong cast. Laura Hanna’s wry and reserved characterisation presents the ideal antithesis to Chedburn’s adolescent narcissism. Will Cudmore, doubling as Kafka and Beckett, displays great versatility – although his affected Irish brogue and piercing glare while in the guise of Beckett leave a somewhat more lasting impression than his rather wordy Kafka. Despite this, Cudmore injects a valuable burst of energy into the show, and revels in delivering many of its best lines. Special mention must also go to the relish he displays in threatening a visibly cowed Chedburn with a banana – an overt reference to Krapp’s Last Tape, in which the same device is used.
The set and lighting reflect the meta-textual overtones of the script, with the generic backstage clutter germaine to all theatres spread amply across the stage. The strength of the direction lies in its subtlety, which leaves the cast free to enjoy the humour of the dialogue. As for the script, its high points include striking images, such as that of Dame Shirley Bassey demolishing a spit-roasted ox, a palpably embarrassing telephone conversation with a vividly masculine would-be seductress (ironically credited as “Lady” in the programme and played with zest by Caird) and Elton John absconding in an ambulance with a debilitated Roussos. The authors occasionally get carried away with their own arcana and on these occasions the pace slows a little. In all, however, the highs predominate, making this play a triumph for the late slot. Let us hope this isn’t the last time Demis announces his final tour.