The Listies 6D (It’s twice as good as 3D).
Written, directed and starring Richard Higgins and Matthew Kelly. Regional Arts Victoria. The Q Theatre. Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre. January 12-14 2017.
Reviewed by Peter Wilkins
You need to be switched on to a
certain type of humour to really appreciate the comedy of The Listies. But then
maybe I am just a Grumpy Old Gramps There’s
no doubt that the young audience lapped up the lavatory humour from the opening
fart and burp fanfare, giggled as “snot” shot across the stage, groaned as “vomit”
spurted forth from a puppet’s mouth, screamed out in terror on cue, hurled
teatowels at Nan and laughed out loud at the antics of Fall Guy Matt and
Straight Man Rich.
The two stand-up comedians
introduce a 6D (It’s twice as good as 3D)
concept of the movies to entertain the audience from five to eighty. They teach
the kids about the ratings of G,M,PG, R and a couple of their own – VAH (Vomit Arthouse), and their rating S for
Stupid. And stupid it is! For an hour, actors Matthew Kelly and Richard Higgins
spin out a string of stupid scenarios including
an horrible Horror Movie, Curse of
the Back Pack and their own clumsy concoction All Nanas Are Ninjas, with lots of participation to hold the
interest and keep the young audience moving as Nan’s helpful minions.. Sure it
is all wacky and weird and meaningless fun, relying on audience suggestions and
participation to eke out a fishing line thin plotline to hook the audience and
reel them in.
There is some clever stuff. Rich
is turned into a puppet for eating a banana after midnight in Curse of the
Backpack. The puppet bears a striking resemblance to Ernie of Muppet fame. There
is clever play on words of a list of movie
titles, such as Ironingman, Hairy Potter
or Mary Poopins.And in a spectacular finale Rich and Matt snowmachine
reamss of toilet paper over the audience. I barely raise a smile and I feel
sorry for the boy who eagerly raises his hand only to be dejected when another member
of the audience is chosen to be the evil Dr. Fluffles, Nan’s terrifying Nemesis.
Maybe I’m being unfair. If the
kids were having a good time, isn’t that all that matters? After all, in the tradition of Abbott and Costello,
Laurel and Hardy, Morecombe and Wise, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis or Lano and
Woodley, Kelly makes the ideal stupid, camp buffoon and Higgins his suffering
companion. The show has been created to cover all the giggle and hoot things
that make a young audience excited to be at a show. It keeps the show to an
hour and structures it with a clear concept that includes all the gags,
slapstick and mistakes that make an audience cleverer than the stupid
characters on stage. All in all it’s a recipe for success – silly and senseless.
It’s refreshingly cool in the
theatre, so I can’t blame my indifference on the oppressive heat outside The Q Theatre.
Maybe I am too intellectually snobbish and would have liked a stronger plot
line and varying moods, rather than a spewed out sequence of deliberately
contrived devices to make an audience laugh. And what’s wrong with that?
Perhaps nothing, but I would have liked something more challenging and original
from two obviously able actors.
There are certainly enough reports to declare me to be a stuffy wet blanket. With the 2008 Melbourne Fringe Award for Best Emerging Producers, the 2013 Sydney Theatre Award for Best Production For Children and critical comments such as “If your kids have never been to the theatre before, do them a favour and make this their first experience. It’s something they’ll never forget.” The Scotsman.
So, who am I to judge? Let the audience judge
for themselves. And the verdict is clear. The peals of laughter and squeals of excitement from the young audience rated me stupid for wanting something more from The Listies 6D.
