No amount of advance research can prepare you for
The audience are all clearly on board for whatever batshit plot twist might come next.
The cast and film choices rotate daily, but all is held together by director-cum-master of ceremonies Will Seaward. A larger-than-life man with all the ferocity of the MGM lion and all the shiny specialness of an Oscar trophy, Seaward introduces the show and provides guidance for the actors so they don't veer too wildly from the film of choice. I was treated to a recreated Frozen, with the ensemble cast all working diligently to make sure their varying levels of confidence with accents and knowledge of the film itself were covered.
Ed Gamble and Elf Lyons portrayed an Elsa and Anna like never before – perhaps with good reason – and bounced off one another brilliantly. Between Lyons' wavering ‘American’ lilt and Gamble's off-kilter rendition of that hit anthem Let It Go, all preconceived notions of Disney are thrown out of the window and replaced with sheer mayhem. Joz Norris' Olaf in particular deserves a mention for the sheer aesthetic of a man covered in shaving cream to his waist, dancing about in a performance equal parts terrifying and hysterically hilarious. The audience are given due warning that they could be called upon to participate at any time, and I certainly won't forget being dragged into the action as Elsa's snowman henchman complete with my own face of foam.
It's not just a film you're paying to see when you go to Comedians Cinema Club, it's the experience. The experience in particular of seeing highly talented comedians thrown into a film without a safety net and the gems that come as a result of this. The atmosphere is such an enthusiastic one and the audience are all clearly on board for whatever batshit plot twist might come next. Forget the quiet cinema screen, these actors are bursting through it and shoving the film right in your face in an unforgettable hour of movie madness.
