The Hermitude of Angus, Ecstatic
Slow Clap Productions @ The Tuxedo Cat – Red Room
10:00pm, Mon 21 Feb 2011
After having seen performer Vachel Spirason’s efforts during the opening night of Santoni Cabaretoni, I was really really looking forward to this; so were a lot of other people, judging by the packed Red Room. A big, comic-like book (that acts in concert with pre-recorded audio as a narrator for the performance) sat prominently by the side of the stage as we squeezed in…
In bounds Angus, disheveled under his Collingwood beanie, yet seemingly optimistic in his search for friendship and acceptance. The Book announces the chapters of his life in non-chronological order, a soothing ding-dong prompting Angus to turn a page to the next chapter; odd titles provoke curiosity in the scenes that follow, and in the characters that inhabit them.
The exploration of Angus and the characters in his life is accompanied by a great selection of music (helpfully recorded in the programme); and as for The Book itself, its bold lines and child-like aesthetic contrast gleefully with the finesse of Spirason’s performance.
Vachel is an intoxicating performer: his rubbery face and exaggerated movements provide immediate comic delight, and his ability to slip into his menagerie of characters (using just the simplest of costume props) is a source of amazement… witness his flip-flopping between Angus and his nemesis. The direction is spot-on, too, with barely a dull moment; if Angus isn’t attempting to copulate with a chocolate cake, he’s having his lunch comically cut by The Book’s ill-timed page-turning audio cues.
You might have gathered that I enjoyed The Hermitude of Angus, Ecstatic. Whilst it certainly wasn’t what I was expecting after the Santoni Cabaretoni appearance, that was for the best – Angus proved to be a well-rounded, sweet and likable character, and the manner in which his story was told was really quite clever.