JERRY SPRINGER THE OPERA - tour.
JERRY SPRINGER THE OPERA – Touring Show.
Music: Richard Thomas, Book and Lyrics: Stewart Lee and Richard Thomas.
Runs: 2h 35m, one interval.
Review: Rod Dungate, 7 February 2006.
Good clean filth – er, fun.
It’s definitely funny, it’s definitely rude – but Lee and Thomas’s show is more than the sum of these parts. This superbly satirical show – even the title is ironic in my book – manages to question both the J S Show itself and the values that give rise to it. Comedy is a kind of distorting mirror. The long line of misfits and wannabes that parade before us – the fat slob who is constantly unfaithful to the people he has been unfaithful with, the big black guy who dressed as a baby in nappies is into ‘poohing his pants’, and so on create for us a freak show – not because of what they do but because they want to reveal it to us. We, insatiable onlookers, are about as enlightened as those who visited Bethlehem hospital.
In a clever twist the creators take key characters from the first half and turn them into Jesus, Lucifer, Mary and even God himself for Jerry Springer to have his own show in hell – but to bring about conflict resolution – a concept alien to him.
Much of this somewhat schoolboyish humour (I use the term as a compliment) stems from setting so much expletive, vulgarity and hitherto unconsidered sexual practice to a range of musical pastiche stretching from Lloyd Webber to Handel – though I suppose I mean Handel to Lloyd Webber. And I love the oft repeated chorus line, representing the greatest punishment on earth, ‘Throw me to the lesbians.’
Rolf Saxon makes a very nice Jerry – urbane and charming, ever distancing himself from the mayhem he creates (or does he?) Dean Hussain is a fab Satan, building on his ‘such-a-lovely-smile’ charm as the warm-up man.
Most of the rest of the cast get to double, which adds to the fun. Particularly to be noticed are Benjamin Lake’s fat slob (see above) Dwight cum God, Carrie Ellis’s Baby Jane (lovely mover) and Valda Aviks who makes hilarious appearances as drug-ruined hippie Zandra and Virgin Mary, and packs an amazing vocal punch from such a small frame.
As for all the controversy?? A message to the moaners – don’t get your knickers in such a twist, drop ‘em and enjoy yourself.
Jerry: Rolf Saxon.
Warm-up Man/ Satan: Dean Hussain.
Steve: Johan Pearson.
Dwight/ God: Benjamin Lake.
Peaches/ Baby Jane: Carrie Ellis.
Zandra/ Irene/ Mary: Valda Aviks.
Tremont/ Angel Gabriel: Trevor Jary.
Montel/ Jesus: Wills Morgan.
Andrea/ Archangel Michael: Annableel Williams.
Shawntel/ Eve: Hellen Walsh.
Chucky/ Adam, Nathan Harmer.
Jarrod: Simon Adkins.
Sandy May: Rachel Bingham.
JK DeVille: Keiron Crook.
Bobby Tham: Charles Doherty.
Petunia: Katherine Glasson.
Brick: Brian McCann.
Gilbert Nixon-White: David O’Dell.
Tammy: Katherine O’Shea.
Yuiciko Fujiwara-Jones: Gina Respall.
Red: Jennifer Tierney.
Dancer: Karen O.
Director: Stewart Lee.
Designer/ Animation: Julian Crouch.
Choreographer: Jenny Arnold.
Costume: Leah Archer.
Lighting: Chris Ellis.
Sound: Mike Walker.
Wig/Hair: Eve Marieges Moore.
Projections: Jon Driscoll.
Fight director: Terry King.
Associate director: Joe Hill-Gibbins.
2006-02-08 15:48:02