Post by profbooboo on Sept 16, 2018 20:14:01 GMT
I went to see the live show on Friday. It's sooo good, they do some classic sketches such as Go Johnny Go Go Go Go and mix it with new material and there's a mention of time passing, with the gents getting older.
They started the 1st half in tuxedos, very much like the original Live at Drury Lane show and a nod to when they started out doing sketches at the Canal Cafe in London. The 2nd half, again like the Drury show, they got the costumes out.
The stage had huge red curtains to make it look like a theatre and not the arena it was. I've seen a few comedians at arenas (Frank Skinner, Peter Kay), but I'm not a fan, I think it's more intimate at a smaller venue (I saw both at much smaller venues, and enjoyed them more), but comedy shows with props and costumes etc can manage to get away with it, I think they fill the stage more (Little Britain, The Mighty Boosh) so this worked really well there.
They started with a cheesy rap as the Legz Akimbo Theatre Company which got the audience on side straight away. Another highlight was Charlie and Stella fighting. The venom they have for each other when they play those characters is brilliant, they're all really good actors as well as comedians. Another one to make the audience laugh was Pemberton as Pops. Shearsmith was playing Trish, Al's girlfriend, and Pops is making advance towards 'her' and Shearsmith was corpsing quite a bit. I imagine it happens most nights as Pemberton is psychotic as Pops! Another strange character (aren't they all?) by Pemberton had him come down into the audience and take the man and woman a few seats along from me up onto the stage, where he got them speaking all the double entendre German phrases.
They elaborated on the specials and showed Tubbs trapped in Papa Lazarou's wife mine. They did a musical theatre skit and had Edward rescuing Tubbs. Papa had made all the female members of the audience his wives (while wearing a huge great gold mitre) so when Edward rescued Tubbs she wanted to take all the other wives to safety. But dont worry, Edward had it all in hand and had organised some help. Step in Hilary Briss!😨
Also, Pauline is not dead!!!!It was all an insurance scam. Mickey came on stage carrying a wreath of letters spelling 'Pauline', where a coffin was standing ready for the funeral. Then entered Ross with a wreath of flowers spelling 'C*nt' (no asterisk!) Ross found out about the scam and ended up in the coffin with his wreath across the front.
The effort involved was immense. The sketches have to be planned to give each actor chance to do costume changes ready for the next sketch, there's a scene during Paulines bit where Shearsmith comes on stage as Cathy Carter-Smith (love it) with Pauline and Mickey there aswell, but Ross is stood at the side of the stage under an umbrella, listening in. Cathy leaves and a minute or two later Ross is saying he's heard Paulines scam involving the insurance because he's been stood there the whole time! Wink wink! A member of productions been stood with his back to the audience while he's doing Carter-Smith. But that means he's gone from Ross to Carter-Smith to Ross in minutes. And Carter-Smith's make-up is something to behold!
Then they recreated a sort of diorama of the local shop. Doors at the back of the stage opened and the stone brink wall appeared and slowly it turned to reveal the interior of the shop. It was great, but they didn't even use it for that long. So much effort.
It's well worth a watch if you get the chance...also getting to see Shearsmith do Pam Dooves in the flesh was worth the ticket price alone. 🤗
They started the 1st half in tuxedos, very much like the original Live at Drury Lane show and a nod to when they started out doing sketches at the Canal Cafe in London. The 2nd half, again like the Drury show, they got the costumes out.
The stage had huge red curtains to make it look like a theatre and not the arena it was. I've seen a few comedians at arenas (Frank Skinner, Peter Kay), but I'm not a fan, I think it's more intimate at a smaller venue (I saw both at much smaller venues, and enjoyed them more), but comedy shows with props and costumes etc can manage to get away with it, I think they fill the stage more (Little Britain, The Mighty Boosh) so this worked really well there.
They started with a cheesy rap as the Legz Akimbo Theatre Company which got the audience on side straight away. Another highlight was Charlie and Stella fighting. The venom they have for each other when they play those characters is brilliant, they're all really good actors as well as comedians. Another one to make the audience laugh was Pemberton as Pops. Shearsmith was playing Trish, Al's girlfriend, and Pops is making advance towards 'her' and Shearsmith was corpsing quite a bit. I imagine it happens most nights as Pemberton is psychotic as Pops! Another strange character (aren't they all?) by Pemberton had him come down into the audience and take the man and woman a few seats along from me up onto the stage, where he got them speaking all the double entendre German phrases.
They elaborated on the specials and showed Tubbs trapped in Papa Lazarou's wife mine. They did a musical theatre skit and had Edward rescuing Tubbs. Papa had made all the female members of the audience his wives (while wearing a huge great gold mitre) so when Edward rescued Tubbs she wanted to take all the other wives to safety. But dont worry, Edward had it all in hand and had organised some help. Step in Hilary Briss!😨
Also, Pauline is not dead!!!!It was all an insurance scam. Mickey came on stage carrying a wreath of letters spelling 'Pauline', where a coffin was standing ready for the funeral. Then entered Ross with a wreath of flowers spelling 'C*nt' (no asterisk!) Ross found out about the scam and ended up in the coffin with his wreath across the front.
The effort involved was immense. The sketches have to be planned to give each actor chance to do costume changes ready for the next sketch, there's a scene during Paulines bit where Shearsmith comes on stage as Cathy Carter-Smith (love it) with Pauline and Mickey there aswell, but Ross is stood at the side of the stage under an umbrella, listening in. Cathy leaves and a minute or two later Ross is saying he's heard Paulines scam involving the insurance because he's been stood there the whole time! Wink wink! A member of productions been stood with his back to the audience while he's doing Carter-Smith. But that means he's gone from Ross to Carter-Smith to Ross in minutes. And Carter-Smith's make-up is something to behold!
Then they recreated a sort of diorama of the local shop. Doors at the back of the stage opened and the stone brink wall appeared and slowly it turned to reveal the interior of the shop. It was great, but they didn't even use it for that long. So much effort.
It's well worth a watch if you get the chance...also getting to see Shearsmith do Pam Dooves in the flesh was worth the ticket price alone. 🤗