The Drayton Arms Theatre hosts the world premiere of this new mystery farce featuring conspiracy plots, secret motives and a lot of double entendres. Guillermo Nazara shares his views on the show, to let us know if this bonkers suspense either hangs or falls off the cliff.
Nothing feels lazier in a comedy than a cheap dirty pun – always po(u)nding to the lowest common denominator (in other words, the bottom of bottoms) in a desperate attempt to give us something to feel when nothing else is able to penetrate us – from a dramatic point of view. Don’t you just love me right now? Well, the subscription to my OF account has a 50% off rate only this w—… I mean, as much as we like to look high-brow most of the time (you can thank me later for upgrading you), we all enjoy a bit of silly fun once in a while (and now you know there’s other things I can “up” for you – link in bio *wink, wink*). And when it comes to British theatre, what’s better than a Victorian-time-set parody on the traditional whodunit?
Enter Don’t Take The Pith, a new comedy landing on London’s theatre pub scene, bringing the twists and turns of the classic murder mystery play through an even more twisted and turned humorous approach – and no murder, which is kind of comical, in its own wat. Starring a jolly group of quintessential snobs on a field trip to an African English colony, the plot revolves the disappearance of an ancient talisman belonging to a local tribe, whose enigmatic vanishing can only bring the most catastrophic consequences to anyone who’s ever come close to it – unless, of course, if that was part of their plan all along.
Relying on intentionally clichéd situations and character archetypes, as well as meta-analytical observations poking fun at the elements and structure of the genre, the premise is, in all honesty, an endless pit of opportunities for stupidly smart piece where mindless entertainment and sly observations converge in an uproarious blast of hilarity. Sadly, though, such goals are hardly met and, basically, barely scratched, in what in the end turns out to be a laudable but rather unfulfilled effort as for its dramatic efficiency, but also its dexterity as a spoof.
Though regaling us with quite a decent bunch of laughs all through the recount, it’s nonetheless difficult to ignore the fact that too many punchlines struggle to work. There’s, of course, an ongoing chuckle accompanying the performance, but apart from some scarce snippets, hardly ever do we find ourselves going beyond a gentle giggle. The reason may stem from a departure in style – introducing us to an over-the-top type of narrative, but later taking very little advantage (and, on the whole, underdeveloping) the edginess a show like this should be founded on.
In addition, the plot suffers from quite a severe lack of structure, not allowing its personages to fully unfold before their viewers – while containing too many action elements which, instead of helping the recount advance, just contribute to create too a convoluted arc with no proper definition. This is, in any case, saved by the rather enjoyable renditions the entire company manages to flaunt – making up, in some way, for the text’s weaknesses through their infectious rapport and superb timing.
A jewel heist, a ghost story and a farce, Don’t Take The Pith still needs to make up its mind as for the kind of tale it wants to tell – polishing both dialogue and argument in order to discover the potential its concept encapsulates, but sadly its writing is due to unleash. If you want people to enjoy a gag, then you’d better shove substantial content down their throats.
All pictures credit to Wala Arts.
Don’t Take The Pith plays at London’s Drayton Arms Theatre until 1 June. Tickets are available on the following link.
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