Writer: Ciaran Chillingworth and Kit Finnie
Director: Joz Norris
We join The Mayor and His Daughter in their delight at the discovery of Russell Howard’s Good News (Series 2), DVD edition, in a local ditch. As their villagers, we’re recruited to observe their rhapsody on laughter and village life, A Genuine Appreciation of Comedy. A vintage projector beams their idol onto the screen in front of us. This, a knowing nod to the notion of what a traditional comedy show is ‘supposed’ to look like in this cult-esque alternative landscape.
A Genuine Appreciation of Comedy feels somewhat like a show of two halves. The initial set-up is very much about the dynamic between our two performers. It’s certainly engaging, but it takes time to warm-up. The interludes for costume changes are inventive and delight the audience. It’s following one of these interludes that we see real buy-in from those watching, creating a renewed sense of energy and flow. The show expands into meatier character play, musical comedy and shadow puppetry – a pleasing use of the previously-mentioned projector. A rousing tune about vitamins and bold, beautifully unexpected, use of audio and props prove to be particularly popular. It would be great to see more of this interwoven in the bones of the show from the very beginning, to demonstrate the ample talents of Finnie and Chillingworth to maximum effect. Appearances from the tradespeople of the village go down a storm. The audience love this and want more.
Finnie is a strong presence as the petulant Daughter, with Chillingworth demonstrating an authoritative dominance as the Mayor. The power play between the two characters is convincing to watch. It’s so naturalistic, in fact, that the weekend daytime audience seem tentative. Not quite sure whether they’re watching constructed chaos, or whether the wheels are falling off the bus. This is a compliment to the complicité between the performers, but may leave the audience out of the joke with this particular crowd. Prompts for reactions feel somewhat forced initially, but once our characters have built trust, the audience begin to react with appreciation.
Laughing Horse @ Temple Bar proves to be an intimate venue which creates a suitably spooky setting for the show’s darker parts. The room contains compartments which create a tough environment for staging, with those viewing dotted around the room. This could have been more thoughtfully considered.
This production has huge potential but, in this iteration of the show, it doesn’t quite find the right village. The concept is fun and will no doubt pique the interest of alternative comedy lovers at The Mayor and His Daughter’s Edinburgh run in August. With the input of alternative aficionados, Joz Norris and Rosie Nicholls, The Mayor and His Daughter have a great team behind their show. With the right crowd and some further development, it could be truly fantastic. One to watch.
Reviewed on 4th May. Runs to 5th May.
