SO, I have seen this show once or twice, as anyone who spends time here will know. That known, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see it live performed by Tim, and in the glorious Sam Wannamaker Playhouse.
Having adapted this script to work on an audience of well behaved adults myself, I was keen to see how it would be adapted for adults in this particular space and time. All the propriety of people’s expectations for the traditional practices space (don’t get me started) piled on top of the almost rockstar status Crouch has amongst a particular subset of theatre lovers.
Cleverly, this production undermined that sense of formality and seriousness from the start. While the adults didn’t quite play along in the same way a room full of teenager would, Tim was able to pick out moments of engagement and behaviour in a manner akin to a stand up comic.
The acoustics of the space enabled a level of intimacy in Crouch’s performance as well, really performing the labour of performance, the effort of the performer to get the audience to understand.
A delightful evening full of scathing contempt for theatre. Just what we love.