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drinks Monday 4 August 08
Big Howard Little Howard
Verdict: A man, a boy, and no paedophilia
Big Howard is comedian and animator Howard Read. The latter talent's significant as Howard Read is the only human in this one-hour show. The remaining eight or so characters are talking animations, principally Little Howard who enjoys a close relationship with Big that's mercifully free of paedophilia.
Peter & Simon, former Radio Three broadcasters reduced to commentating on fringe comedy and aware of the drop in their gravitas, welcome the audience. They're a couple of animations projected on a screen (as are the rest). Based on R3's stock of plummy-voiced all-purpose commentators, they're alarmingly realistic.
Six year-old Little Howard's the star of the show. He has a man's voice (after all, he's done by a man), but a 6-year-old's speech patterns (and attention span). With a splash of yellow hair, yellow trousers and top, turquoise shirt, round brown boots, all he lacks are ears and a nose. Little Howard's aware of what he's without, and bursts into tears if either is mentioned.
Little Howard's onstage for much of the show. The illusion that all is by a small child - but intended only for adults - allows Howard Read to insert some subtle and elegant material. Little Howard's high-spot tonight is a tv commission to present The News At Six (being 6). His live report from Palestine (he thinks its Plasticine), with Yassy Arafat - who he mis-identifies as one of the Nativity Shepherds, and Bum-Face Sharon is a stunningly sharp satire on the Middle East situation. And later there's perhaps the best-ever joke about Princess Diana.
Other characters appear briefly, each with its individual voice and drawn style. There's Ziggy the Rifel Squid emerging from the sea with rifle drawn. The winged Chalkie the Lemon Horse distributes lemons world-wide. Ptomek the Wonga-Shitting Panda emits wealth, but only excretes hard currencies.
H-bot 2000 The Funny Robot From The Future likes to scream 'Wooah', and tells jokes about computers. His gift is sychophancy, no compliment too extreme.
Star of the show (but don't tell Little Howard) may be Roger The Pigeon - The Manager. Roger's evil, sly and manipulative - so he has a Northern accent. He shits as only a pigeon can. He was killed off a year ago, but you can't keep an evil pigeon down (fortunately). The interaction between Roger - keen on promoting Little Howard at Big Howard's expense - and the two Howards, is the central fun of tonight's show.
It's more than clever. At one point there are six characters on stage, and only one's human. Yet the perception is of a complete cast.
It seems odd to be able to suspend belief so easily. After all, it strips down to Howard Read, two projectors, and a laptop. It's tempting to think it's the relatively new technology that's responsible. Only in part.
Howard Read's skill is to create wholly believable and individual characters; and to provide them with a funny, credible and entertaining play. It's in the same way that Nina Conti's act has little to do with her ventriloquism (and the relationship between ventriloquist and dummy was probed deftly in
Dummer) - and everything to do with her clever characterisation of dummy Monk as her stand-up sparring-partner. But much further back, it relates to the old man on the beach sitting in his tent, laying in front of him the set of highly individual characters (and their strings of sausages), created centuries ago in Italy as Comedia Del Arte, that we know as Punch & Judy.
Credits (alpha order): Written, voiced, directed - Howard Read. Additional material and voice of Simon Muffleshitcan'tIplease - Chris Chantler. Additional animation - Phil Hall (www.sonofken.com). Sound effects - Fitzrovia. Additional sound recording - Jason Read. Technician and stunt-knitting - Penny Nichols. PR - Paul Sullivan. Management - Cosmic Comedy.
END
John Park
reviewed Saturday 22 November 03 / Soho Theatre Studio
Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2008
