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Latest items? Unedited? Fringe Report Uncut
HÔTEL SPLENDIDE - Christmas Comedy Extravaganza
Verdict: Funny spoof French cabaret
London - Canal Café Theatre - December 02
Mon 9th, Tues 10th Dec 02 at 9.30pm. Wed 18th Dec at 7.30pm. Check details with venue.
Hôtel Splendide contains a naughty Hoover, ejaculating glove-puppet and double entendres - two of which are Yvette's substantially enlarged breasts. It's set in the France of 'Allo 'Allo, though it's considerably more filthy.
Welcome to the wrong Hôtel Splendide, where it takes one manager and one amply-gifted chambermaid to change a lightbulb. Every time manager François mounts his ladder, he topples nose-first into Yvette's enhanced cleavage. The lamp needs frequent replacement during the show, and there's more than fuses being blown.
Enter - via helicopter - American Don Dupre, 'the world's greatest living compere'. Enter Don's wife Lavinia Dupre, a bountiful brassy broad with songs to sing and (increasingly) hard bodyguard. Cue Vladimir, 'the world's greatest bodyguard' - though for Lavinia, he's strictly Vlad The Impaler.
Don's landed in l'il ole France to present the mother of all cabarets, so he's puzzled by the non-appearance of the artistes. We, François and Yvette realise he's swooped from the sky onto the wrong Hôtel Splendide, but Don, being American, doesn't. François, Yvette and Lavinia rise to the challenge of performing their own, unusual, cabaret turns. And Vladimir rises to anything.
Christina Anthony shines as Lavinia, a long-lost lover in shades, an unorthodox animal-watcher, jazz singer and vamp. Anthony's a fine dancer too, with larger-than-life stage charisma. Katy Bartrop delivers a hilarious Yvette. Bartrop pouts, ooh-la-las, smoulders, dances and sings Wagner, with gallons (5 litres for Europhiles) of Gallic sex-appeal. Andrew Byron is an excellent Vladimir, rapping filthily in Anglo-Russian, and handling a vacuum cleaner unconventionally; he's a man of many parts - Vlad, Baguette Man and French customer - and Vlad has the biggest. Alex Dower plays Don Dupre superbly as an American Bruce Forsythe - complete with a moustache that suggests unreliability at the very least. Dower's Don is funny and endearing, provides an entertaining narrative thread, and dances elegantly. Vincent Shiels is an excellent François, with highly-developed comic skills, and remarkable dancing, from bare-bottomed Irish step-work to disco supremacy. His facial expressions are a delight to watch, a fine comedy actor. Chris Redmond delivers a well-engineered sound-track and imaginative lighting.
Cast Credits (alpha order): Christina Anthony - Lavinia Dupre. Katy Bartrop - Yvette. Andrew Byron - Vladimir. Alex Dower - Don Dupre. Vincent Shiels - François.
Production Credits Director - Alex Dower. Technical Director - Chris Redmond. Writers / Producers - Alex Dower, Andrew Byron.
END
John Park
reviewed Monday 9 December / Canal Café Theatre
(c) Fringe Report 2002
FRINGE REPORT
www.fringereport.com
HÔTEL SPLENDIDE
Verdict: Daintily Odd
Hôtel Splendide - 2nd Opinion - by Lucy Traube
The Canal Café creates the ideal atmosphere for an evening that takes us into the tacky world of the hotel cabaret (writes Lucy Traube). Candles on the tables, a small but well-decorated Christmas tree and jolly old Christmas music, make it all very cosy and set the scene for this very quaint French hotel.
Quaint or daintily odd - not only describes the atmosphere, but the
staff and certainly the residents of the Hôtel Splendide.
An American compere, Don Dupre, (Alex Dower), arrives at the hotel to host
an evening of cabaret. Unknown to him until the end scene, although very
apparent to the rest of us, Dupre is in the wrong hotel. There are no
performers staying at the Hôtel Splendide, in fact there is no one else
staying there at all.
The two hotel staff, Francois (Vincent Shields) and Yvette (Katy Bartrop), are
very keen to please their guest so decide to dress up and perform for him.
Whilst all this is happening, Dupre's wife Lavinia Dupre (Christina Anthony),
- very much the slut - splits her time between servicing their bodyguard,
Vladimir (Andrew Byron) and singing and singing and singing and singing ....
The play comprises many short comic scenes. On this opening night, at moments the action
dragged and the play felt under-rehearsed. A lot of pauses meant that the natural flow that should tease the audience along from one laugh to the next was missing in places.
There are many tummy-ticklers with the show's mix of well-written comedy: a
silent-movie moment complete with flickering light to give black and white
effect and lots of slap-stick action in the movement; some Irish dancing.
Some great characters are introduced. There's Sandwich Man, a masked man
whose face is half-hidden by a hideous bread and filling creation; Robert
and Judy - 'Rob had acne and a little stick. Rob felt so comfortable, so secure
and so warm. Judy was blind.'
A great relationship develops between Yvette (Katy Bartrop) and Francois
(Vincent Shields). Bartrop portrays a sense of complete innocence, whilst
carrying around one of the largest set of breasts imaginable. Perhaps she's
never looked down. Byron shows a brilliant range to his skills and undertook many roles.
My favourite moment's Shields as Disco Kid, the crusader who saves Lavinia Dupre after she's kidnapped. Shields sings along with a BeeGees classic, in a very high pitch voice with a French accent. With some very hot grooving, Disco Kid rescues Dupre. The only disappointment is that it turns out to be a dream. Now come on, if you're going to have a puppet who comes all over a women's back, let us believe Disco Kid's real. (Oh yes, ps, forgot to mention: a soft toy ejaculates!)
Hotel Splendide offers a selection of crude, sometimes obvious humour thrown in
with moments of intimacy. A lot like a typical family Christmas!
END
Lucy Traube
reviewed Monday 9 December / Canal Café Theatre
(c) Lucy Traube 18 December 02
Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2012
www.fringereport.com
