This is a lewd, ridiculous and over the top show that will leave you stunned and cackling.
A riotous and hysterical show that I would recommend to anyone wanting an hour of hilarity. It’ll teach you a few new innuendos too.
It involves adultery, blackmail, and buggery, and is set in Georgian era England. Two distinguished gentlemen of the landed gentry fall for the same mystiques of an unattached young man, and proceed to court him in an extremely un-gentlemanly manner. A farcical romantic pursuit begins, as the young man gets the two gentlemen right where he wants them – wrapped around his, ahem… little finger. However, this young man has secrets – most importantly his name – and may have much more nefarious plans for the two gentlemen.
The writing is very clever: a blend of Georgian mannerisms and brutally racy interjections and cock jokes. These two styles of writing complement each other surprisingly well, and it is absurdly funny when the actors switch between the two styles for comic effect. Once the story has kicked off, the pace is relentless. The three men land insult after insult after insult. At points you can barely catch your breath because you are laughing too hard.
The incredibly energetic yet poised cast pull off their obscene and outlandish characters with absolute confidence. They manage the heightened and caricatured performance of the era, whilst pulling off extremely physically energetic scenes. A scene where the two lords viciously ride their horses along the edge of their property, whilst hurling thinly (and less thinly) concealed insults at each other – all the while not spilling a drop of wine – is hilarious to watch. All three performers are unshakeably in character, even when they drop the period for a punchline.
The costumes, wigs and make-up used in the performance are great, adding a sense of authenticity and pantomime to the production. The sound design is very well thought through, subtle and atmospheric when it needs to be, and grotesquely over the top when called for.
The show takes a bit of time to kick off when the characters are introduced, and slows down a bit at the end for the denouement, leaving the show feeling a little slack at moments. Their excellent show last year The Importance Of Being Earnest As Performed By Three F**king Queens And A Duck was more successful, because everyone knew the characters that would be involved, and less time was needed to set up the plot; then, they could launch straight into the lunacy. However, this show itself acknowledges that exposition is hard to make funny.
This is a riotous and hysterical show that I would recommend to anyone wanting an hour of hilarity. It’ll teach you a few new innuendos too.
