When choosing a theme for a show, it doesn’t get much bigger than rewriting how the world began. With such a controversial subject, 1945 Productions were letting themselves in for a monumental task of striking the balance between satire and statement in a plot not gaping with holes. All credit then to this talented group who somehow managed to pull of an original script full of wit and dotted with brilliant vocal scores.
Aptly named Al takes his mind off his short-comings in the bedroom by creating a new world in a business investment for ‘the Firm’ of which the audience appear to be members. Fuelled by the idea of the perfect race, his business partner and opposite in all things (you can guess which Biblical character he’s based on) Sam, is more concerned with the monetary side of the project and less with the pureness of a world without sin. Behind every great man there’s an even better wife and Donna and Lucinda were no exceptions. Polar ends of the spectrum, Lucinda’s general boredom of Sam contrasts with Donna’s exasperation with Al as the show cleverly explored the difficulties of working relationships through the closeness of these two friends.
All very contemporary, the white costumes and up-to-the-minute script enhanced the futuristic feel and in a plot that should have been full of holes, I was impressed to find none. Addy and Eva played up the differences between man and woman as Eva couldn’t help but want more and succumbed to the tempting Sam. Unfortunate Moe, played brilliantly by Ollie Gyani, missed the boat slightly with his rendition of the Bible, as the show skimmed across thin ice on its depiction of religion as ‘ a business initiative to control people’. The lovable Pete, a saint of a guy, also added some comedy genius, sending Al and Sam to Purgatory for some time out when things got out of hand. After a court-hearing, an affair and a nuclear bomb, somehow things managed to work out and Lucinda threw in a touch of feminism as she began the bigger and better ‘Earth 2.0’.
Wonderfully witty lyrics were set off by the tight vocal harmonies displayed so competently by the cast. Congratulations to Harry Zundel, Ollie Feather and Ronan Shiels whose musical score and lyrics were really what made the show. The choreography was fun, which is much better than perfect, and slight technical difficulties were glossed over by the genial cast. Altogether, it was a production well done.
