A review by Sharon Emmerich
This two hander comedy sees Lisa Bobbert and Darren King reprise their award-winning roles in Laughing Wild, Christopher Durang’s internationally acclaimed play which returns to the KZN stage after an absence of 10 years.
Despite having been written in 1987, many of the situations presented have never been more current!
Laughing Wild was previously staged in Durban in 2004 and is currently directed by Steven Stead who oversees the show’s KZN revival.
The play is set in New York in the 1980s. Clever use is made of simple props reflecting a NY Skyline, as well as lighting blackouts to change scenes.
Lisa and Darren portray two zany people trying to come to grips with pressures of city life in this black comedy. The audience, myself included, guffawed often. But then I found myself reflecting that the situation I was laughing at was not really all that funny. I particularly enjoyed the moment when the audience suddenly understood how two random characters and their monologues tied up.
Lisa and Darren deliver their lines at lightning pace, sometimes without pause, as another line or zany action is thrown out. I felt myself moving quickly from the previous “not really funny” moment, to the next, as I laughed heartily.
Do note: the production runs for 80 minutes, without an interval, which I found rather long towards the end.
Laughing Wild is on at DHS’s Seabrooke’s Theatre in St Thomas Road from 2 to 12 October 2014, with performances at 7.30pm Tuesday to Saturday and 3pm Sunday. Tickets are R100 available through Webtickets, www.webtickets.co.za. Contact Clare, clare@webtickets.co.za, 071 224 1046.
Darren King and Lisa Bobbert star in the revival of Laughing Wild at the DHS Seabrookes Theatre. Photo: Supplied by William Charlton-Perkins
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