Following the success of The Artist in 2011, the silent movie has had a new burst of interest amongst today’s audience. With films coming out every week and half of them never being heard of after the premiere because they didn’t excel at the Box Office, sometimes it is nice to be reminded of the simplicity and the pleasure that cinema has always been able to provide. Ian Watts’s show does just that. Away from all the special effects and fast pace action, Watt reveals the forgotten quirkiness of the old 1920’s black and whites. Watts’s himself is no stranger to the stage, with three solo albums under his belt as well as working in the West End. This new project for him is ‘a culmination of his passion for music and silent film’.
First things first, if you are someone who gets embarrassed or uncomfortable by audience participation then maybe stay at home. This show is one for families or people who enjoy getting involved as the audience is invited to make their own silent movie. As well as getting to be a bit silly, you do also feel like you leave having learnt something about the old movie business. The technique of how to throw a custard pie just like Charlie Chaplin is one thing that is addressed. There is also a sense of the performance adding its own touch to black and white cinema as Watts’s provides the live soundtrack to Charlie Chaplin’s Behind the Screen with his honky-tonk piano. Along with comically named pieces of machinery proudly displayed on stage as old relics of the silent movie period, the audience is invited to engage and, for the older generation, remember the classic comedy moments of the time.
