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 | The Pleasure Of Their Company Glynn Nicholas & Shaun Micallef Arts Theatre, Sat 12 March. Season Closed Mix two consummate professionals, an attentive audience and binary opposites and you have an entertaining evening that could have been special; an evening that promised so much more than it actually delivered. Both Nicholas and Micallef are masters of their respective forms, both command the audience's attention while slyly upstaging each other with simple gestures and intonations. They work together well, feed off each other and allow latitude making for a show that seemingly would never be the same twice. They play to each other's strengths, letting the disparate nature of their comedic abilities to shine and fulfil audience expectations. What Nicholas achieves with a twist of his hips, a shrug of shoulders and some consummate costuming, Micallef achieves with his esoteric banter, asides and extraordinarily expressive eyebrows. I can only say watch out for their upcoming Fringe show. 'The pleasure...' seems to posit the question, to mock or not to mock. Sponsors of the show are lampooned mercilessly, simultaneously poking fun at the institutional nature of the beast while gladly accepting their ability to reach an audience. Social comment sits oft uneasily with pure slapstick; the relationship between embittered materialistic son is neatly contrasted with doddery father questioning both Western social values and familial relationships. The juxtaposition of Micallef's wordy humour and the clinical skelatal mime of Nicholas makes 'The Pleasure...' a tad episodic and thus easy to ignore if the style is not to one's liking. Audience participation then becomes vitally important. The brilliant French Restaraunt scene replete with stereotypical Gauloise chuffing chef and obnoxious waiter is an absolute pearler, even to somebody who generally disregards mime. The mixing of audience patsy and coolly confident stage professional enabled improvisation and a brief glimpse of Nicholas's undoubted timing and talent. Background is obviously important to the show enabling barbed comments to be thrown at advertisers, authority figures and recognised figures. Stereotypes figure heavily, yet work. The appearance of Pate Biscuit, the Robert Morley-esque actor and Milo Kerrigan add an accessibility to the proceedings whilst enabling Nicholas and Micallef to poke fun at societal and cultural sacred cows. 'The Pleasure...' is a work in progress; one that needed some direction and shearing to really fulfill its clear and present promise. The abilities of the performers holds the show together and makes it an evening of mirth yet one that reeks of promise mostly unfulfilled. It is good without being brilliant, entertaining without being 'piss pants funny' but one that made me wish for more.  | |
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