The Birds, Eagles Nest Theatre, May 9, 2007

The Birds adapted from Aristophanes by Eagles Nest Theatre

Northcote Town Hall, session times alternate with Hamlet, until May 9 to 20, 2007

Reviewer: Kate Herbert on May 9. 2007

Director, Robert Reid, once again takes a classic play, Aristophanes Ancient Greek comedy, The Birds, and tosses it into a blender. 

The original text is edited, cut together with rough, modern dialogue and ad libbing as well as narrated snippets about Alfred Hitchcock and his famous thriller of the same name.

Hitchcock (Craig Hedger) himself introduces the play and sits on stage throughout playing comic snare drum stings to highlight gags.

Aristophanes’ The Birds is virtually unrecognisable in this pastiche of styles including Vaudeville, drag show and Benny Hill amongst others. The story of his poetic play deals with two humans who stumble into a land of birds and convince the creatures not to savage them but to create a great and innovative State for birds to rival those of the hostile humans who treat the birds so disdainfully. The land is called Cuckoo in the Clouds and represents a fictional, political alternative to Athens of the time.

The Gods from Olympus are walled out so no scent of sacrifice to the new bird-gods can reach them. Various adventurous human poets, soothsayers and others visit as well as a delegation of Gods that comes to reassert the power of the Gods.

Euelpides (Elliot Summers) and his fellow traveller, Pithetaerus (Alex Brock) are depicted as Roy Rene style vaudevillians with the white and black make-up of Rene’s character, Mo. Summers and Brock’s grasp of clown and slapstick is amateurish. Their timing is slow, they are inclined to shout for emphasis, particularly Brock who is central to the plot and lacks the requisite skill to carry a role in this style. Pithetaerus begins to look like a peevish adolescent.

Although the ensemble works very hard to make this chaotic production comical, there are really only a few performances that make the grade. Felicity Steel, with her rich voice, clever timing and delivery, makes interesting the pompous Hoopoe, a man-become-bird. Eleri Crowly as the Bird Chorus Leader, is elegant and in control of voice and text while Nathan Godkin has a few marvellously camp cameos as God on roller skates, a soothsayer and an indulgent poet. Hedger’s Hitchcock is a simple and unobtrusive portrayal.

Some scenes are so shabby and slow that you could drive a truck through the gaps. However, there are certainly a few laughs. Even Aristophanes might find it quirky.

By Kate Herbert