★★★

“absurd and delightful in equal measure”

Pleading Stupidity is, as the title suggests, ever so silly.

From Maybe You Like It Productions, this is the true story of two very stupid boys (classic) on their gap year (very classic) working in a small skiing town in Colorado (also pretty classic), who underestimate the excitement such a town provides, and rashly decide upon robbing a bank for some extracurricular fun (a little less classic).

The story itself screams comedy: the case was solved in eight minutes owing to the titular stupidity of these Australian students-cum-bank robbers – inspired by Patrick Swayze in Point Break. But, unlike their hero, they lack common sense in all its forms. Chad (Jamie De Villiers) and Brad (Robert Merriam) end up holding bank workers Kelly (Lili Herbert) and Anna (Ellie Jay Cooper) at BB-gun point, still wearing their name tags from work, and dressed in skiing attire. The only Australians in town, there is never any mystery to solve, and they are quickly caught and arrested. But such unrelenting idiocy is a source of great hilarity, in which no comic stone is left unturned. Whilst there is some discussion of the dubiousness of their defence (stupidity) helped largely by being young, white men from Australia, this show is not really a commentary on the justice system, or male incompetence. It is purely a very amusing romp through this ridiculous crime, in which any seriousness is subsumed into delightful absurdity.

This four-person multi-rolling cast is fabulous as they charge across the stage manically, darting from character to character, in the likeness of those free electrons in metals which conduct energy really quickly (credits to GCSE Chemistry). The show is frenetic in the best way, and your attention is easily maintained throughout.

Pleading Stupidity has a delicious self-consciousness to it, harnessing meta-theatrical commentary wherever possible. From the start, the characters bicker over who should deliver exposition, and announce the coming of the next dramatic montage. It’s all wonderfully inventive, squeezing absolutely all it can out of its small inventory of props and cast members.

The stage is sparse, relying upon four multifunctional boxes to indicate different settings. But these are utilised with much success, as, for example, a pretzel stand seamlessly becomes a toilet then into an airport desk, and back to a pretzel stand. Props and costume are also subtly employed to indicate character changes, to great (and comic) effect.

As delightfully silly as this show is, I do wonder if it has a life that is sustainable or suitable outside of fringe settings. On its regional tour, this London stint took place in the New Wimbledon Theatre’s studio space, which is used to showcase new writing. This suited the piece very well. But the lack of emotional depth and the slightly confused ending does leave the show without much lasting impact. As clever and watchable as this irreverent play is, there is a notable absence in what it seeks to achieve, and its ending feels a little anticlimactic.

That said, Pleading Stupidity is absurd and delightful in equal measure. It’s not Beckett, but it is great fun, and a thoroughly enjoyable evening.

FRENCH TOAST at Riverside Studios

★★★★

“It mocks pretty much everything about the industry, but it is also a heartfelt love letter to the theatre”

The French actor, director and writer, Jean Poiret, is best known for his 1973 “La Cage aux Folles”. He is perhaps less well known as a theatre and film actor before, making some forty motion pictures over three decades. You have to dig deep into his biography to come across the 1979 comedy. “Féfé de Broadway”. Writer Sam Alexander has obviously done so, and we can only thank him for that. His adaptation, that follows the backstage shenanigans of an ill-conceived musical, is a wonderfully light-hearted, eccentric and witty hour-and-a-half of escapism – now titled “French Toast”. There are going to be obvious comparisons to Michael Frayn’s “Noises Off” which was conceived around the same time this side of the English Channel. There are contrasts too. Alexander’s take on Poiret’s story (co-adapted with director Marianne Badrichani) draws a lot from the culture clash between the French ‘glamour’ and the British ‘eccentricity’. “French Toast” is indeed guilty of cramming itself full of stereotypes and caricatures, but the audience are willing victims of the crime.

Set in 1977, it focuses on French diva, Jacqueline Brémont (Edith Vernes). Rich and successful in her native Paris, she has decided to branch out and conquer London’s West End but instead lands up in Basingstoke. Old flame Simon Monk (Ché Walker) is directing an ill-fated musical adaptation of Jean Racine’s ‘Phèdre’. He has no intention of casting Jacqueline in the lead role – she can’t sing and dance to save her life. But money talks. Without her there’s no investment. What ensues is a farcical entanglement of egos during a hilarious stop-start rehearsal process. Clichés are pulled out of the hat like a manic conjuror on speed, but so are many moments of wit, humour, quirkiness and sharp comic observation that bring a huge smile to our faces. It mocks pretty much everything about the industry, but it is also a heartfelt love letter to the theatre.

You need to be exceptionally good to convince at being a bad actor. And this company have the collective talent to ham it up to the histrionic hilt. Ché Walker brilliantly encompasses the authoritarian director who has suddenly lost all control. The show is being cast behind his back. Walker’s stunned expression on day one of rehearsals is an image that will imprint itself on the mind for a long time. But to shake things up a bit, Simon Monk enrols punk musician Nicky Butler. Monk thinks of himself as a bit of a ‘right-on’ radical. Reece Richardson gives a star turn as the bewildered muso caught up in a thespian nightmare. Love interest comes via Suzy Kohane’s stylish yet earnestly ‘New Age’ Kate Freeman. Kohane’s is a standout performance, particularly when she sidesteps Paul Hegarty’s vividly accurate, camp yet lecherous Etienne Grémine. We are reminded that the seventies were ‘different times, darling!’ but a modern sensitivity is layered onto the narrative without detracting from the authentically period setting.

There is some doubling up of the roles. Josie Benson shines as budding actress Faye Rose but also a delicious Madame Bouffard, the diva’s dour dresser. The whole company is having so much fun, and Edith Vernes is no exception as the central figure Jacqueline. Despite a slightly clunky opening few moments, the show swiftly warms up. Touches of Alan Bennett’s ‘Habeas Corpus’ take the style dangerously close to farce, as trousers start to go missing, but other influences pull it back. The mayhem of ‘The Young Ones’ is visible through rays of ‘Morecambe and Wise’. Tara Young’s choreography is spot on with her playful nods to Fosse while Sammy Dowson’s costumes let us know exactly which year, if not month, of the seventies we are in.

Crucial to the piece is Leo Elso’s music. The lush escapism of disco locks horns with the raw energy of punk. Like the text, it parodies and cherishes at the same time with an authenticity that pinpoints the era in which The Village People and Abba could share the world’s stage with The Clash and The Sex Pistols. The culture shocks resonate throughout, up until the upbeat finale in which virtuosity and humour make a perfect marriage.

The play is peopled by people from different backgrounds, yet the comedy of misunderstandings ultimately leads to unexpected reconciliations and a feelgood factor that tips the scales. Like it’s culinary counterpart, “French Toast” is crisp on the outside but fluffy and tender on the inside. At times a little bit eggy, but delicious. A toast can definitely be raised – in French or in English.

Category Archives: Reviews

PLEADING STUPIDITY

★★★

New Wimbledon Theatre

PLEADING STUPIDITY at the New Wimbledon Theatre

★★★

“absurd and delightful in equal measure”

PLEADING STUPIDITY at the New Wimbledon Theatre then UK Tour continues

Reviewed on 8th October 2024

by Violet Howson

Photography by Lucy Hayes

Previously reviewed at this venue:

AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN | ★★ | April 2024

PLEADING STUPIDITY

PLEADING STUPIDITY

Click here to see our Recommended Shows page

FRENCH TOAST

★★★★

Riverside Studios

FRENCH TOAST at Riverside Studios

★★★★

“It mocks pretty much everything about the industry, but it is also a heartfelt love letter to the theatre”