What:
Speedmouse by The Umbilical Brothers
Where:
Athenaeum Theatre I
When:
December 12 to 14 & 18 to 22, 2002
Reviewer:
Kate Herbert
What is so
wonderful about The Umbilical Brothers in Speedmouse, apart from their
exceptional skill, is their apparent unpretentiousness. Dave Collins
and Shane Dundas knock our socks off us with their effortless blend of physical
gags, sound effects and stupidness.
Between, or
sometimes during, their construction of bizarre imagined worlds, they charm us
with their casual chit chat, making it all look like a relaxed party game. It isn't.
Speedmouse is a cleverly devised and complex piece without a single narrative
line.
It sports
two delightful, skilled performers who lead us like lambs into their land of
nutty noises and pictures. The stage is
empty except for the occasional introduction of a small, black screen by the
third cast member, the Roadie. On this
cavernous, black stage of the Athenaeum the pair create an underwater world,
the Manchester Olympics
They
manufacture out of thin air and sound effects, their own Fantastic Voyage inside
Dave's body as he holds a microphone to his head listening to the scientists
chat about his innards.
Their
version of French mime- they mockingly call it European visual theatre - is a
wry parody of walking into the wind and pulling yet another a mime rope.
This is no ordinary or classical mime show. They create a seamless mind and body meld between them. Much of the time Shane is using a mike but almost invisibly creating all the sound for both his and Dave's actions.
A dog barks, pounds up the road on its little
paws, runs after a stick. All this is vapour but we believe it because Dave and
Shane's illusions are so real and complete.
There are
several theatrical devices that allow them to move through their visual and
audio gags. One is the use of a remote control. They fast-forward, go slow motion,
move frame by frame or rewind.
They can
switch channels to an erotica program, to a runaway truck heading toward them
or to a child floating away attached to a helium balloon.
Another
winning element is the clown-suited, ominously silent Roadie who hates Dave.
While the Roadie supports Shane, Tina, the unseen but heard stage manager with
a big bloke's voice, disciplines Shane.
Their timing
is impeccable. Their method is their own. The two become almost interchangeable
as voice and actor.
Speedmouse
is more than a short spin around a few visual gags. It is a rich and funny 90
minutes with two very talented guys and a complete bastard of a Roadie.
It is the
kooky meeting of Die Hard and Marcel Marceau. This could be family
entertainment - if you can tolerate the odd bit of swearing.
By Kate
Herbert
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