OCTAGON THEATRE, BOLTON – UNTIL SATURDAY 29TH JUNE
REVIEWED BY ZOE BROWN
5*****
I know I’ve said it before, but the Octagon Theatre Bolton really knows how to entertain and this co-production between Stephen Joseph Theatre and the Octagon has it all.
What a joy to watch. Dare I say it, this production is even better than The Play That Goes Wrong, for me!
The premise of the story is based fairly closely on Bram Stoker’s famous novel, however, in this production, the fictional character of Professor Van Helsing seeks to convince you that the fictional story of Dracula is in fact, a fact! Think spoof TedX talk with the addition of a motley crew of actors, trying somewhat unsuccessfully to bring the story to life. With Van Helsing as our narrator, he points out from the top that this is not theatre, nor is it for our entertainment, but it is ‘the bloody truth’, intended to warn and enlighten us. This very construct is the basis for almost all the subsequent calamities.
With the company’s four actors taking on no less than forty different characters, this show depends on a cast that compliments and elevates each other. There is a palpable sense that they are having a whale of a time, and so are we. Chris Hannon as Van Helsing makes for an enthusiastic and bombastic character, Annie Kirkman’s Dracula is devilishly precise, Alyce Liburd’s Mina is naïve and demure, Killian Macardle’s Lucy, coy, yet vivacious. Comedic chops abound; they take us on a dynamic rollercoaster of a show.
As with all farces, the timing must be perfect, and is so deliciously perfect, with gags one after the other, after the other. Director Paul Robinson has done a sterling job.
With precarious proscenium arch and forestage, the clever set design by Helen Coyston brings the action up close, so much so that at times the audience themselves are thrust into the story. A sparce rickety setting, variety of broken household furniture and cheap props, as well as the mis-timed sound cues all serve as a fifth ensemble to the cast.
It has all the hilarity and fun needed to make it an instant hit; spoof, physical clowning, wordplay, audience interaction – a bit Mighty-Boosh-esc, a bit Python-esc, even modern hits like ‘Don’t You Need a Girlfriend’ make it in there. If you’re a fan of farce, or a fan of panto, heck even if you just want a good belly laugh, you need to get yourself a ticket.