Written and directed
by John Lombard.
Presented by
the Inglorious Lombasterds
Teatro
Vivaldi 13.11.2015
Reviewed by
Bill Stephens
Written and
directed by John Lombard, and performed by the Inglorious Lombasterds, “The Worf Revue” was an exuberant, nerdy,
often very funny, one-night-only presentation, obviously inspired by the Wharf
Revue, but with none of the sophistication, polish or production values of that
show.
Consisting
of a succession of short comedy sketches, all written by Lombard, who also compered
the show in the guise of an alter-ego, Worf, “The Worf Revue” mined video
games, social media, self-help books, movies and even couple of well-known
musicals to make points about current concerns and issues.
At this
stage Lombard is a better writer than he is a director. His writing is engaging
and his ability to quickly grab audience interest with witty dialogue was perhaps
best displayed in two excellent monologues – one in which Ms Pac-Man (Barbi Jones) resorts to eating as a solution
to eating problems, and a running lecture
in which a green-painted Wicked Witch, (Jess Waterhouse, in perhaps the best
performance of the night) cleverly turns a disingenuous lecture about the
science of magnetism into an affecting disclosure of her own relationship dilemma.
Elsewhere,
sketches which contained interesting ideas faltered from the absence of a
strong punchline, or from lack of focus, poor line delivery or attention to
detail, particularly evident in the well-written “Lord of the Rings” finale
sketch where wardrobe malfunctions with poorly attached beards for both Gandalf
(Patrick Galen-Mules) and Dumbledore (Lachy Agett), caused fatal distractions
from any inherent gay marriage comment, but proved hugely entertaining for the
audience.
The
Inglorious Lombasterds is an ad hoc group of performers, who come together
specifically for the purpose of performing Lombard’s works. While their
enthusiasm is undoubted and admirable, their theatrical skills vary widely, and
as a result, at this performance there
were an inordinate number of flying props which, in the intimate surrounds of
Teatro Vivaldi, posed a real danger for unsuspecting audience members, and once
or twice, fellow actors.
As well as
Jones, Waterhouse, Galen-Mules, and Agett, Zoe Swan, Hugh Witton, Annie
Roberts, Saffron Dudgeon, Darcy Stanford and Brendan Mattress all made strong
contributions to the hilarity, ensuring a hugely enjoyable evening of coarse
acting and clever satirical writing.
