Hollywood, 1930. The first-ever talking motion picture is a smash hit and suddenly every actor needs a voice. Three New Yorkers head west to cash in on the talkies trend by opening an elocution school. But in a city heaving with clueless ingénues, all-powerful studio moguls and neurotic screenwriters, success is trickier than it sounds. Misadventures abound. Our three heroes vie to become the next big thing in Tinseltown.
I knew before going to see Once in a Lifetime - Richard Jones' production for the Young Vic - that it wasn't going to be the kind of production I normally go in for. I'm a theatre snob, and light-hearted comedy is not really my thing, but even with my prejudices I was still able to enjoy Once in a Lifetime for what it was.
The American accents were slightly wonky to start off with, and the dynamic between the leads Claudie Blakley, Kevin Bishop and John Marquez wasn't quite there. I also wasn't keen on Harry Enfield's Herman Glogauer, as he went so far into caricature it felt as if he were just playing for brainless laughs, but I'm not sure if this is just my snobbishness coming through.
However, the pace of the show, and the beautiful design work, courtesy of Hyemi Shin, carried the start, and the confused ending, and gave you something pleasing to latch onto. The rotation of the stage to allow constant set changes lent the show an appropriately filmic quality, and there were plenty of genuine laughs in amongst the buffoonery.
Overall, the piece was charming enough. The whole thing was gloss and showbiz: all surface, no depth, but pleasing to look at. It's perfect for an unchallenging evening of entertainment, just, preferably, for someone who isn't me.
3/5 - Frivolous and funny. An enjoyable, if superficial, bit of escapism.
The Young Vic
25 Nov - 14 Jan 2017
No comments:
Post a Comment