The 3 Canadians – Ben Hur Digitally Remastered
The 3 Canadians @ Scott Theatre
10:00pm, Sat 23 Feb 2002
Score: 7
Short Review: Standard 3C Fun
Saturday night, and if the full house (and bloody long line-up) is any indication, the Fringe (aka Comedy) Festival is alive and well.
The 3 Canadians (reformed after their little “split” last year – thank jeebus for that, given North’s abysmal North Alone) return to their ’96 act, an attempt to condense the 212 minute, 1959 classic Ben Hur into 60 minutes. As they announced at the start of the show, the previous night (and their opening night) had run “a little long” – so I was hopeful for rapid changes, fast dialog, and rapid-fire wit.
And I got it – but they still ran about 20 minutes long (which would’ve been a real piss-off for the people queuing for “Best of the Fest”, which purportedly started at 11:30pm – we left at 11:45pm). Anyhoo, their method of volunteer selection set the scene for a good show of laughs, a nice bit of audience participation, the dismemberment of a classic movie, and several fine pieces of overacting by Derek.
There’s something about the 3 Canadians which is infinitely more appealling than (say) the 4 Noels – sure, there’s the same level of “ad libs” (quotes used for a reason), the same level of self-denigration… but the 3 Canadians make it work. This isn’t thoughtful comedy, it isn’t high wit, just good, solid, brainless entertainment.