DARWIN'S WORMS.

Manchester.

DARWIN’S WORMS

bent architect at Contact Theatre.
Runs: 1hr 5min No interval

TICKETS: 0161 274 0600.
www.contact-theatre.org
Review: Stoon 18 March 2009

Would’ve been more entertaining if he’d kept Head Lice.
The most entertaining thing about this was the flyer – the illustration showed a bug-eyed, Godzilla sized worm towering menacingly over its white coated creator – “wonderfully sardonic pitch-black comedy…glorious and innovative,” it promised. In your dreams; if this was cutting edge, then Terry & June would’ve won an Oscar.

There are 3 segments to this wriggler. Firstly a ‘spoof’ science lecture – topics include whether worms are blind or sensitive to light and which end of a leaf do they pull into their burrow first (Wiki on stage, hilarious eh?). In the right hands it could have succeeded, with a professor, Darnell, hip dudester Disco Nick and bespectacled lady scientist Dr Susan Becker: think Not The Nine O’Clock News.Unfortunately, more like something rescheduled to follow Mr Craven’s Newsround.

It’s definitely late night viewing next, as we go all Z-list sci-fi and witness the blood curdling experiments of Dr Darnell who splices the worm ‘Fly’ style with a human to produce a chavvy white annelid youth who clearly thinks he’s auditioning for ‘Worms n The Hood’. By the end things go all ‘Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed’ as the Professor realises his folly worm boy’s time seems up. Plan 9 From Outer Space was ultimately amusing because of the sincerity of all concerned. No such luck here. There were shades of ‘The Goodies’ and we half expect the famous five to burst in to rescue the situation. If only. Successful parody is an art and cannot be considered achieved as a right.

Unfortunately worm boy did survive so there was a third part to watch.

No Cast or Production details provided.

2009-03-25 01:26:14