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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
Ben Willbond
Verdict: Well-observed comedy, meticulously performed
London - Soho Theatre - 14th Oct 04 - 20:00 (21:00)
Ed 'Freddy' Wellesley-Smith is the archetypal Fulham-dwelling, City-working, none-too-bright Rugger-Bugger. He frequents Allbarone (listed as All Bar One in Yellow Pages), where he drinks excessively with his pack of equally over-privileged chums and beds girls who wear rugby-shirts. It is – unfortunately - an instantly recognisable member of society that has at some point incensed everyone in the audience.
Ed is a well-observed and meticulously performed creation that engenders humour through recognition. For example, Ed is regrettably as successful as he is stupid. He has aspirations to produce television and, as he has an old chum at Channel Quatre, instantly gains a commission for an idea that consists of nothing more than upper-class grunts. Ed Wellesley-Smith is part of the status quo.
Fellow Ealing Live! performer Katy Brand permits the audience to see a more intimate side of Ed. She plays his female counterpart, Olivia Beaton-Jones (OBJ), who awakes to find herself in Ed’s bed, with the remains of last night’s kebab welded to her behind.
This is a woman whose knees crumble to the sound of Dido’s latest album - 'because when you’re listening to Dido you just don’t have to think' - and claims not to want anything serious from Ed; but can’t leave his side without telling him 'I love you'. Ed and OBJ’s emotional immaturity could have been exploited to create affection. They are outstandingly simple.
Ed has evolved over numerous performances at venues such as Ealing Live! But with the addition of OBJ, this character has now gained a richness that didn’t exist in 3-minute spots in ensemble shows.
Jed and Jules Simmonds are every middle-class couple’s dream-turned-nightmare. They have escaped highly stressful careers in London to run a vineyard in Provence. On the verge of financial ruin, the couple are forced to confront the failure of their relationship, Jed (Ben Willbond)’s roving eye and Jules (Katy Brand)’s descent into alcoholism. Jules genuinely evokes sympathy from the audience. Jed has abused Jules's father’s wealth, and Jules has relinquished an exciting job in television to be cheated on.
Julio San Salvatore, a shady Colombian drug dealer, is Ben Willbond’s most theatrical and surreal character. His posturing and flouncing around the stage brings to mind some of Monty Python's more silly creations - but this is purely a performance piece which couldn't sustain life outside of his three-minute segment.
Similarly, Captain Hugh Stroker is an army recruitment officer with a very tenuous grip on reality after being abandoned by his wife. These characters sit uncomfortably next to Ed, OBJ, Jed and Jules - who are all rooted in genuine observation.
The changes between the characters are masked by extremely funny voice-overs. These have a darker quality than the rest of Ben Willbond's work; and it is no surprise to find that they had been penned by Jim Field Smith (Dutch Elm Conservatoire). They help sustain the pace of the show and keet the audience buoyant.
Ben Willbond's show is an unabashed celebration of preposterous aristocratic characters. He patently enjoys bringing these personalities to life and a significant proportion of the show’s success lies in his self-awareness.
He gives the impression of being about to corpse at any moment and join in with the audience's laughter - especially when he asks one of them to interact with his characters. This makes the show enjoyable, but doesn't allow the audience truly to submerge themselves in his creations.
Cast Credits: Ben Willbond, Katy Brand.
Company Credits: Writer - Ben Willbond. Director - John Gordillo. Technical operator - Venue staff.
END
(c) Ella Lockwood 2004
reviewed Thursday 14th October 04 / Soho Theatre
reviews@fringereport.com
Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2004
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Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2008
