Herald Theatre
Sept 19-30 | Reviewed by Imogen Neale

OFTEN WHEN you go to the theatre your experience, your enjoyment and your engagement can de gauged from your reaction when someone asks you (some version of) “how was it?”

The way you meet that question says more, perhaps, than anything else you actually go on to say.

Now, this is a make-believe scenario of course, but pretend you just asked me “how was it?” My reply – which is the most important part of this review I’d suggest – would be “I was completely surprised, completely enthralled and completely entertained.”

That last word – entertained – might strike a raw nerve with some; some don’t want to go to the theatre to be entertained. They want to go to be emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually moved. Others, like me, believe you can be moved and entertained at the same time – it’s not a paradox – it’s just a well entrenched misperception (this is, of course, the gospel according to Imogen – it may not be the gospel according to you).

The show, as Dominion Post reviewer Ewan Coleman stated, finds its genus in Charlie Chapman, Buster Keaton and 1920s silent movies. It also has a vaudevillian element as it is a floor show that employs large doses of mockery, tom-foolery and brutal physical action that leaves you, hopefully not them, wincing.

The story is premised on two builders who stumble (quite literally) upon a “builders wanted” sign. The job they are set is a renovation; turn a dilapidated go-go club into a church. It’s not too hard a task, theoretically anyway, as the furnishings and the chattels are all broken, peeled away or otherwise AWOL.

As they go about their task – employing some of the most polished and yet raw physical theatre I have seen – they turn every task into a mission; partially through incompetence and partially because the two builders are such good friends and they just want to play. At one stage they need to use electric drills, but rather than just not turning the plug on or loading the battery pack the right way (a gag you might expect) they turn it in a robotics skit, where they essentially duel with the motion and expression of video game robots. This skit is glorious – all the more so because the enthusiasm of the audience is almost palpable – you can feel them willing it simply go on and on.

Occasionally the devious Madame who had employed these two graces the stage. We’re not sure exactly what underground sort of gig she is into but she does walk out with limbs in her hand and fully bloodied forearms fairly regularly. The smaller of the two builders catches on but, as the taller of the two is rather taken by her, he finds it hard to relay his concerns.

The story rollicks along and, although the play is a full hour long, you do wish they could find some other tangent to explore so the show could go on and on and on. Although, as others have said, I’m not sure their bodies could handle all the bruising that would result!

Those behind Theatre Beating, who also created the award winning play The Magic Chicken, have already won a number of awards and accolades with this play. Indeed they have been invited to the 2006 China Shanghai International Arts festival.

The acting duo, Barnie Duncan and Trygve Wakenshaw, have a show on Alt TV where they play two German artists who attempt similar things, apparently, as the two builders, Toot and Collins, in the play. Unquestionably they have a wealth of talent and, more importantly, passion, ingenuity and dedication. I’m not sure how this play originally came about but I would hazard a guess that it had a lot to do with the wild imaginations of these two.

The Producer, Graeme Bennett, also recently produced the awesome performance of The End of the Golden Weather and the Director, Geoff Pinfield, is also the associate Director of MAUI.