The Donfather is a well-written and funny show which suffers a little from shaky performances at the beginning. Phat Beavers deliver a 'surreal comedy', parodying American gangster films with some success, and after a slightly unpolished start, the four men, portraying multiple parts, get into their stride and drive home some strong punchlines.
With a myriad of excellent suits, moustaches, and very mobile eyebrows, the four relatively young actors tell the story of Don, a Mafia boss, his henchmen, and the police detective who infiltrates their gang. With the addition of a rival fat cat and his cronies, a waitress, a receptionist and various 'civilians', the plot becomes a bit convoluted but the humour is generally not lost.
A quibble the more pedantic viewer may have is that the story is set in 1978, with enough seventies disco music during scene changes to cement that fact in the minds of the audience. Yet, as it is designed as a parody of Mafia movies and of The Godfather in particular, you might think it would be more appropriate to set it anywhere between the thirties and the late fifties, but no later. Little is taken away from the effect of the show as a whole by this slight inaccuracy, however, and if you were looking for a play akin to Julius Caesar, you wouldn't have come here in the first place.
The nerves of one actor, who portrays Charlie the detective throughout, are obvious, and it falls on the other three to pick up the slack from his fumbled lines. In the second half of the show, however, both the myriad double entendres and the physical comedy – a hilarious false beard and a phone constructed from cups and string make an appearance – are delivered with confidence and finesse, and should be applauded.
A valiant effort from the young group, and well worth seeing.
