Tom Trevella serves up dinner, with Sophie Ewert in 'The
Butler' at the Regent Theatre last night. Photo by Jane
Dawber.
Joe Bennett and circus are words you might not expect to
see in the same sentence.
The Butler
Regent Theatre
Friday, October 15
Bennett is a thoughtful, intelligent writer and a good talker
who speaks with as much passion and fun as he puts into his
newspaper columns.
Circuses are usually marvellous physical spectacles that
don't tax your brain.
So the idea of Bennett's wry words mating with the agile
athletes of the Loons Circus Company is intriguing long
before you get to see their offspring, The Butler.
Hence the good keen crowd that turned out last night, some
fashionably dressed, most sadly late, all full of high
expectations.
Did The Butler deliver?
Emphatically yes, but perhaps unsurprisingly, this is a show
with a split personality.
There are feats of circus derring-do, with juggling, aerials,
fire, poise, balance, buffed bodies and polished timing and
that's just the first 15 minutes.
Once that's out of the way we can get on with the story of
the endless dance of dinner, where the eternal big questions
of life may be discussed as long as one sticks to society's
rules.
It's a mix of literary reference and farce, but the physical
comedy is so impressive and fast-paced that the over-long
pauses in between drag in comparison, particularly in the
first half.
But the many moments of superb theatricality easily make up
for uneven momentum, and the tremendous talents of the Loons
are unquestionable.
As for social comment, high society is a huge target, and
although Bennett's well-aimed bullets are beautifully
crafted, this production uses a blunderbuss to fire them.
So, split personality? Yes.
Worth seeing at the weekend? Definitely.
- Nigel Zega
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