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Epsilon Productions present Len Pentin's

Fun Like Stalingrad

Hen and Chickens Theatre

November 13th – December 1st 2007

The trouble with comedy is its elusiveness: one minute it's right there, sweetly nuzzling your inner funny bone, and the next it vanishes deep into some bottomless vacuum never to return. At its best, it is intangible, inexplicable, unforgettable. At its worst, it can be irritating, exploitative and downright intolerable.

Billed as the London Fringe’s upcoming 'laugh of the season,’ then, Fun Like Stalingrad is the latest stage comedy to tread that fine line, and is the first from fledgling theatre company Epsilon Productions following their inaugural production of Othello late last year. Those lucky few of you familiar with Liverpudlian writer Len Pentin’s previous work, Slappers and Slapheads and Tina Duckett Says, should pretty much know what to expect…

In a typical English flat on New Year’s Eve, two flatmates, Wendy and Lynn (played by Epsilon co-founders Angela Bull and Erica Lowe), are all set to usher in the New Year in very different ways. Wearing a frumpy, grey sweat-shirt, and with a handy bottle of gin (or three), Wendy would like nothing more than a relaxing night in front of the telly, while Lynn has plans for a memorable night at the local fancy dress party with her hubby-to-be. When Lynn’s plans with her usually dependable fiancé go astray, however, the pair end up discovering that their lives are every bit as complicated as a drunken game of monopoly.

Now, that’s all very well, you say, but is it any good? Well, yes, actually. Aided, of course, by Pentin’s ability to match his characters’ surreal descriptions with the mundanity of their daily lives in a humorous and interesting way, Bull and Lowe conjure a believable, populated world in a tiny space through convincing, natural mannerisms, expressions, and delivery of lines. Never-seen characters like Halitosis Christine, Disco Dave, and Mad Harry somehow all seem real. And what’s more, both leads in this two-woman show display a keen sense of comic timing, and it is often their performances that elevates what is already a witty, intelligent script into an ultimately charming, moving and vibrant comedy.

Bull is especially gifted in this area, and repeatedly it is her small anecdotes and deadpan expression that provide the show’s highlights. At one point, for instance, Wendy matter-of-factly explains: ‘As my Grandma always said, you can feed a cat through a mangle, but you can’t make it eat.’ Later, she reveals she has done something ‘really silly’ in a way that has the small audience tittering madly.

Fun Like Stalingrad also succeeds in its direction, in that relative-newcomer Benji Sperring has geared this production to focus solely on its characters, and not on any wild or misplaced stage directions. The set and costumes are functional, too, if a little quaint, while tunes such as Jim Reeves’ Merry Christmas Polka and naturalistic lighting effectively set the mood and mask scene changes.

The only real foible is the title. Fun Like Stalingrad may have some punters expecting a political satire of some sort, and seeing as there’s no mention of Stalingrad in the play, it is left to an explanation from Pentin in the programme notes as to its meaning. Very occasionally, too, Bull and Rowe fumble and crossover their lines, but I guess that’s excusable since their characters are guzzling gin most of the night.

			Theatre Review





	Reviewers Latest Opera Reviews Epsilon Productions present Len Pentin's Fun Like Stalingrad Hen and Chickens Theatre November 13th – December 1st 2007 A review by Simon Clancy for EXTRA! EXTRA! The trouble with comedy is its elusiveness: one minute it's right there, sweetly nuzzling your inner funny bone, and the next it vanishes deep into some bottomless vacuum never to return. At its best, it is intangible, inexplicable, unforgettable. At its worst, it can be irritating, exploitative and downright intolerable. Billed as the London Fringe’s upcoming 'laugh of the season,’ then, Fun Like Stalingrad is the latest stage comedy to tread that fine line, and is the first from fledgling theatre company Epsilon Productions following their inaugural production of Othello late last year. Those lucky few of you familiar with Liverpudlian writer Len Pentin’s previous work, Slappers and Slapheads and Tina Duckett Says, should pretty much know what to expect… In a typical English flat on New Year’s Eve, two flatmates, Wendy and Lynn (played by Epsilon co-founders Angela Bull and Erica Lowe), are all set to usher in the New Year in very different ways. Wearing a frumpy, grey sweat-shirt, and with a handy bottle of gin (or three), Wendy would like nothing more than a relaxing night in front of the telly, while Lynn has plans for a memorable night at the local fancy dress party with her hubby-to-be. When Lynn’s plans with her usually dependable fiancé go astray, however, the pair end up discovering that their lives are every bit as complicated as a drunken game of monopoly. Now, that’s all very well, you say, but is it any good? Well, yes, actually. Aided, of course, by Pentin’s ability to match his characters’ surreal descriptions with the mundanity of their daily lives in a humorous and interesting way, Bull and Lowe conjure a believable, populated world in a tiny space through convincing, natural mannerisms, expressions, and delivery of lines. Never-seen characters like Halitosis Christine, Disco Dave, and Mad Harry somehow all seem real. And what’s more, both leads in this two-woman show display a keen sense of comic timing, and it is often their performances that elevates what is already a witty, intelligent script into an ultimately charming, moving and vibrant comedy. Bull is especially gifted in this area, and repeatedly it is her small anecdotes and deadpan expression that provide the show’s highlights. At one point, for instance, Wendy matter-of-factly explains: ‘As my Grandma always said, you can feed a cat through a mangle, but you can’t make it eat.’ Later, she reveals she has done something ‘really silly’ in a way that has the small audience tittering madly. Fun Like Stalingrad also succeeds in its direction, in that relative-newcomer Benji Sperring has geared this production to focus solely on its characters, and not on any wild or misplaced stage directions. The set and costumes are functional, too, if a little quaint, while tunes such as Jim Reeves’ Merry Christmas Polka and naturalistic lighting effectively set the mood and mask scene changes. The only real foible is the title. Fun Like Stalingrad may have some punters expecting a political satire of some sort, and seeing as there’s no mention of Stalingrad in the play, it is left to an explanation from Pentin in the programme notes as to its meaning. Very occasionally, too, Bull and Rowe fumble and crossover their lines, but I guess that’s excusable since their characters are guzzling gin most of the night. All in all, then, great stuff. Highly recommended. Who said comedy was tough? Hen and Chickens Theatre 109 St. Paul’s Road, Highbury Corner, N1 2NA Tickets: £11.50 for Adults, £9.50 for Concessions Box Office: 020 7704 2001 www.henandchickens.com www.myspace.com/hanandchickenstheatre.com Copyright © EXTRA! EXTRA All rights reserved Reviewers Latest Opera Reviews bMary Couzens Tickets: Tuesday – all seats £9, Wednesday to Saturday – £12 and £10. Box office on 0207 261 9876 www.uniontheatre.org