Linus Karp and Joseph Martin of Awkward Productions have an innate talent for honing in on the most ludicrous point of any given situation and turn it into a non-stop laugh-a-second production.
They match the nonsensical energy to the point where we can’t tell what’s real and what's not
Their latest production, Gwyneth Goes Skiing, follows the infamous ski trial between Oscar-winning Hollywood sweetheart (Karp) and a retired optometrist (Martin), where we are invited to make a decision on what we think happened on that fateful mountain in Utah.
We often find ourselves in a strange position where the delivery of the jokes is such a big understatement that it also becomes the funniest thing ever said until the next one. The humour is very wry and aided by the fact that both Karp and Martin have a very matter-of-fact, serious manner and delivery style, which is often enough to signpost for us why something is funny. The specificity, constant referencing within the dialogue, and just running with a joke to the point where it becomes funnier each time we hear it forms the bedrock of this production's comedy.
Over the course of this production, Karp and Martin combine many different styles from satire to slapstick to musical comedy in order to build each moment, to create an overwhelming sense of just how ridiculous the entire story is, even going to point ou twhen even their combined comedic talents can't out-ridicule reality. They match the nonsensical energy to the point where we can’t tell what’s real and what’s not. Karp and Martin create a spectacle with this show, but strip away the celebrity guest stars, the set, props, and we’d still be left with an outstandingly-written show that doesn’t need all the bells and whistles to be a solid comedic theatre piece. The bells and whistles are just an additional source of laughter, a reminder that we’re watching a dramatic reenactment.
Karp and Martin really immerse us in the idea of ‘she’s everything, he’s just an optometrist’ characterisations, with hysterical results. We’re essentially led directly to the source of the humour by their performances, nudging us to the first, obvious punchline, before leaving us to find whatever further humorous depths there are. The ambiguity over the actual fault of the matter adds depth and motivation to these characters, even though initially the characterisation of both Gwyneth and ‘The Other Guy’ makes them more like stock characters in a courtroom drama, but with a slight knowing tonal undercurrent that breaks down the fourth wall.
Gwyneth Goes Skiing is a hectic show, there’s so much that Karp and Martin have done in order to completely overwhelm us in the absurdity of this pop culture moment. We are constantly given a reason to laugh throughout this production, the rate and quality of jokes is unbelievable. As they keep outdoing their previous shows on every level, it’s hard to fathom what Awkward Productions will do next.
