Review by: Paul Towers, 03 April 2017
The Odyssey by Simon Harvey & David Mynne
Rabbit Theatre production – David Mynne
Upstairs @ The Western, 3/4/17 and touring
“epic, heroic and magical ….. lunacy”
The mythical tales of the Greek gods of ancient times are,
by their very definition, epic, heroic and magical. Translating them into a
one-man show is, on the face of it, a fools errand. How do you depict storms at
sea, enchanting creatures of the deep and sorcerous sirens on an almost bare
stage with just a scrap of cloth as a costume? The answer is to enrol the talents
of Rabbit Theatre, aka Simon Harvey and David Mynne. This genius pair have a
track record for producing hugely entertaining one-man shows which tour
endlessly and The Odyssey is yet another sure fire winner.
With one man, four boxes and a piece of blue cloth David
Mynne conjures up the saga of Odysseus as he uses the Trojan horse to take the
city of Troy, defeats the gargantuan Cyclops and narrowly rescues his beloved
wife Penelope from the hands of an interloper.
Liberally sprinkled amongst the traditional narrative are
numerous surreal detours and side adventures casually thrown in to raise a
laugh and move the story along. This is Play School for grown ups as Mynne produces
teeny tiny models, creates voices and throws the cloth around to suggest
costumes.
To my ageing eyes this hilarious lunacy is inspired by
Michael Bentine’s Potty Time as he paints pictures with words and sounds.
Right from the get go David Mynne had the audience Upstairs
at The Western in the palm of his hand as he welcomed us into his world of
fantasy.
The Odyssey is on tour. Details can be found at www.rabbittheatre.com
Upstairs at The Western http://upstairsatthewestern.com/
First publishe don London Pub Theatres blog and Western Gazette
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