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Latest items? Unedited? Fringe Report Uncut
Gareth Tunley as SVEN STACY
in
Always Have Something In The Briefcase
Verdict: Glorious showbiz parody
There's no-one quite like Sven Stacy. Oh yes there is. Think of your agent. And if you don't have an agent, think of that letting agent who ran off with your deposit. That's right, the one with the floppy hair who looks a bit like Jonathan Ross, with a 3/4 length poplin mac - the kind Harold Wilson used to wear in those faded photographs. And grey flannels, psychedelic kipper tie. Cigar, brightly polished black shoes to keep up appearances, plus unreliable Sherlock Holmes hat. Yes - it's Sven Stacy, showbiz agent and a whole lot more.
'Always have something in the briefcase. The steak is better than the sizzle.' Sven admits not knowing what this means, but is quick to give a contract - 'Don't read the contract' - to Nick in the front row. Within seconds, he's got Nick up on stage auditioning with Katy from the audience. It's a run-through using Quentin Tarrantino's Silence Of The Lambs for a movie audition conducted over the phone - but the movie turns out to be more Soho than Soho Square.
Sven's ever-ready to counsel against an actor's despair. 'Rejection is like flatulence - it's natural', is a watchword; 'Curriculum Vitae is Latin for half-truth' another. But actors can harrass him too much. Sven recruits Richard from the audience as his assistant: 'I'm Israel, actors are Palestine - you're the security fence'.
Distinguished character actor Gareth Tunley creates in Sven Stacy a ruthless delight of agent parody. Sven's every agent of the worst kind imaginable, a magnificent confection of lies, subterfuge, bluff and deceit. He'll become totemic to agents themselves as the reverse patron saint they can pray too when their clients need to be put down (and Sven's not beyond making this permanent).
Part of the show's cleverness is to create a parody that's fully recognisable but also a rounded characterisation - Sven Stacy is real enough to walk off stage into a recognisable (if furtive) life - but then to use the character to parody the whole gamut of the entertainment industry. Theatre, auditions, cinema, interviews - every aspect of entertainment's daily life becomes a focus for the night's comedy. And - something often missing in comedy shows - it's packed full of excellent jokes.
Credits: Gareth Tunley - Sven Stacy. Lights & Sound - Ben Willbond.
Venue Credits: Pub Manager, The Albany - Antonio. Technical Manager - Venue Staff. Venue Managers (alpha order): Louie Bayliss, Felicity Wren, James Wren.
END
John Park
reviewed Tuesday 3 February 04 / Lowdown At The Albany
Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2012
www.fringereport.com
