|
Theatre 503 and Winston Azzopardi present Porn the Musical
Music and lyrics by Boris Cezek and Kris Spiteri
Book and lyrics Malcolm Galea
Director Paul Robinson
Theatre 503
April 7 – May 1, 2010
A review by James Richards for EXTRA! EXTRA! Gaudy, shallow and often more than a little tasteless, some musicals are a bit like porn anyway, so it’s surprising no-one has thought of this before. Oh wait, they have. Simon Armitage’s Pornography: The Musical bored viewers stiff when it moaned and groaned its way onto the screens of Channel 4 in 2003. One can only assume Malcolm Galea (book and lyrics) felt the subject had more to give and lo! Porn the Musical, now showing at Theatre 503, was born. The bottom line – you’d have to be made of stone not to fall headlong in lust for this banquet of debauchery and self-referential humour as Galea and Co. wring every last drop from the subject leaving us crying out for more. Porn the Musical is the story of Stefan, a Maltese carpenter – yes, he’s got a tool kit – whose marriage to Jade is called off when her cheating ways are revealed. He flees to Los Angeles in search of a ‘new direction’ (say that a few times to yourself) and falls right into the arms of Sanddy, a pornstar with a heart and a ‘massive rack’. Their romance, off and on the set is infuriated by porn boss Marvin who gambles away the fortunes of the agency. A featherlite plot is just the ticket – the glory of the show springs from physical humour and the unrelenting enthusiasm of a totally committed cast at full tilt. Director-choreographer team Paul Robinson and Ally Holmes know exactly what works in the space and have sweated hard with Galea to take every opportunity for gags – set changes and props are referenced in the script and the overacting is to die for. Brendan Cull as Stefan is deliciously dweeby and a perfect foil to muscle-bound porn hero Dr Johnny, PhD (it’s not what you think) played by Alain Terzoli. Ahmet Ahmet also has a big part as the stroppy Miscellaneous Man, involving countless costume changes. Sophia Thierens finds a surprising amount of heart beneath the plastic as Sanddy, while Jody Peach is almost asphyxiatingly entertaining as über-vixen Jade. Her teeth kissing, head bobbing ‘bitch-off’ with Thierens is one of the funniest scenes you’ll see all year. The guitar/piano arrangement from Kris Spiteri and Boris Cezek (music and lyrics) provides enough range to prevent the show from going limp before the climax. We get a waltz, tango, jazz and heaps of pop. With songs such as ‘My Dick is Dead’ and ‘Where the F*ck is Malta?’ however, too much complexity would be a bad thing. We’re in the gutter here, and we want to be allowed to revel in it. On a few occasions, the in-jokes get a little sore and the narrator’s interjections interrupt the rhythm. Also, it’s hard to see how the show could be put on a bigger stage without leaving much of the humour behind in Theatre 503. Still, if you liked Jerry Springer The Opera and as long as you’re not easily offended by constant sexual references and implied hardcore pornography (none of the real stuff on stage, thankfully) you’ll lap this up and roll over to be tickled like the good dog you are.
Theatre 503 020 7978 7040 Tickets £9-14
Copyright © EXTRA! EXTRA All rights reserved
|
