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drinks Monday 2 June 08
DUBLIN ... Colman Higgins describes the scope and history of Dublin Gay Theatre Festival ... and reviews two of its shows ... Down Dangerous Passes Road ... Confessions of A Mormon Boy /// LONDON ... film on now ... La Question Humaine / Heartbeat Detector /// BRIGHTON ... It's on till 26 May and here's at least 20 Things you might want to know about Brighton Fringe /// PEOPLE ... Who was there at Fringe Report's First Monday 5 May - photographs & article /// CULTURE ... One Culture ... film screening 30 May booking now ... details
FIRE DOWN UNDER!
Verdict: Girls' night out with randy firemen
Touring - Sep/Nov 02
Tooled-up for comic mayhem.
Here's a magnificently vulgar night out for girls (and daring boys who are ok among 700 raunchy women - personally I found it wonderful). And here are the only firemen still at work - tooled-up for comic mayhem - but it's a different kind of hose they're manipulating.
We're in the rest area above a fire station and fireman Sean (James Crossley), aka Rambo (they all have nicknames) is pretty much naked, practising his swimming strokes, and waiting for a new instructor to put him through his strokes.
Oh lorks! Dirty Sam (Will Thorp) aka Sambo has a huge penis, shags anything in sight and has made a blue movie in Australia as Roger the Todger - but no-one must know. And when anyone points a camera at him, the todger in question grows an extra inch and he faints, due to lack of blood in the brain.
James (Tony Forsyth) aka Jambo isn't bright, he's seen a blue movie starring one Roger the Todger, not knowing it's Sambo, a porn actor called Blue Rock, and a pretty girl called Honey McGuire, who he's emailed. But he's sent a photo of Rambo instead, not thinking he's sexy enough. And she's coming to see him today. Which is tricky, because to counter allegations of sexism and racism in the force, he's being filmed rescuing an elderly Asian woman from a fire in front of a press conference (the Walthamstow Gazette) imminently.
And talking of press, Briony (Rebekah Gibbs) is investigating undercover, ready to expose sexism, racism, initiation ceremonies and indecent exposure. Her alias is an Austrian, with suitable fake-Fuhrer accent and mannerisms. She has a camera, which unfortunately gets pointed at Sam ... They end up tumbling into a locker together.
Meanwhile porn actor Blue Rock turns up from Sydney, instead of Honey McGuire, looking for someone else who's emailed him. Blue Rock gets mistaken by Rambo for his new swimming instructor and is only too happy to help instruct him, thinking he's inititating him into the gay arts. ('When was your first experience?'/'At school. I was shit, it was compulsory'/'I've heard about your public schools, but I'd no idea...').
Gay fireman Graham (Iain Stirland) aka Goblin acts as traffic policeman to a stage that resembles Oxford Circus on a busy day, with fire-fighters, porn stars, undercover journalists and swimming instructors running stage left, right, centre, hiding in lockers, starting fires, shooting blue movies, getting undressed, climbing onto, under and into fold-up beds, and confiding their chaotic story-lines to him. He's a beacon of common-sense and sound advice, which makes the mayhem even greater.
Jesse (Peter Benedict)'s in charge and ready to give everyone a stern ticking-off, but does he have a secret in store?
This glorious farce is likely the funniest touring show at the moment. It's a distress that it's not scheduled for London, because the stage is light of exhuberently hilarious shows. This is the kind of feelgood night-out that's only possible in theatre, and the cast, crew and writer deserve enormous credit for giving packed-house audiences (around 5,500 people will see it in one week in Cheltenham, filling the Everyman theatre every night) a great evening of excellent and delightful comic theatre. And it's perfectly safe for boys to go too.
Cast Credits: (alpha order): Peter Benedict (Joe 'Jesse'), James Crossley (Sean 'Rambo), Tony Forsyth (James 'Jambo'), Rebekah Gibbs (Briony), Damian Kell (Blue Rock), Glenn Lester (Jack 'Beanstalk'), Iain Stirland (Graham 'Goblin'), Will Thorp (Sam 'Sambo'). Understudies: Damian Kell, Glenn Lester, Siān Quenby.
Crew Credits: (programme order): Director - Peter Benedict. Designer - David Shields. Lighting - David Norris. Company Stage Manager - David Norris. Deputy Stage Manager - Siān Quenby. Press - Kevin Wilson, Mark White (KWPR). Publicity Photography - Robert Workman. Design and Print - Aldgate Press. Set Construction and Engineering - Robert Knight, Top Of The Bill. Production Accountant - Portman Partnership. Insurance Brokers - Gordon and Co. Tour Transport - GH Lucking and Sons. Tour Consultant - Nick Brooke. General Management and Tour Booking: Oracle Productions - Peter Benedict; and Fleighton Productions - Richard Seddon, Jens Mogensen.
END
John Park
reviewed
Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2008
