Murder Me Dead
Sun, 15 Sept 2002, 09:23 pmcrgwllms2 posts in thread
Murder Me Dead
Sun, 15 Sept 2002, 09:23 pmMurder Me Dead (episode one)
Written by Shirley Van Sanden
Directed by David Ryding
cast: Damon Lockwood, Brooke Silcox, Ben Ruse, Patrick Spicer, Paul Goddard, Talei Howell-Price, Emma Herriman, Craig Edwards, Alison Browning
Capgun Productions
Blue Room Studio Space, Perth
It seems as Spring has sprung, so the silly season has suddenly struck. (Is that a silly enough way to start?) Anyway, since Risky Lunar Love had put me in the mood for a good silly parody, and knowing that Shirley Van Sanden puns even more pugnaciously than me, I was looking forward to episode one of Murder Me Dead.
Earlier at this year's Fringe, I watched all four episodes of Cyclone (by the same author) at the marathon Sunday sitting, so I knew roughly what to expect. Something vaguely along the lines of The Goon Show acted out on stage.
So while the evidence shows that the characters are completely over the top, the script jumps wildly all over the place, the costumes, wigs and accents are all highly suspect, there's a subplot or two that (at this stage) make no sense, one of the few characters we started to identify with has been killed off, and many of the gags are absolute groaners, the verdict is that it all works and most of it is very funny. There's even a Goon Show-like live voiceover as narrator, which is used well to sustain the film noir genre and to work as a foil to the sight gags onstage.
Apparently they got a small house the first night, but obviously word spread because the next two nights were crammed to capacity. (As must have been the backstage area - the two wing spaces are less than a metre wide and somehow fit the cast of 9.) The unadorned set worked well, the exposed back windows showing the Perth skyline suggested the PI's dingy city office, and the rest of the set appearing in our imagination. The only problem was sightlines, if you're not there early enough you get the poor seats.
While it's the sort of show that perhaps doesn't require "great acting", it does require good performers to carry it all off with total commitment. The entire cast was certainly committed (or should be), but special mention goes to Damon Lockwood, who was firing on all cylinders as Trent Trowel, PI. Somehow he managed to be completely outrageous and yet subtle and deadpan at the same time. I saw him a few hours later onstage at The Big Hoo Haa in Freo (subtle plug) where he kicked comedy improv butt; obviously having a top night.
Alison Browning probably deserves a mention for turning up three nights in a row not to appear in the episode; it was worth it just for that gag!
Looking forward to next week's episode; I've already bought my season pass!
Cheers,
Craig
[%sig%]
Written by Shirley Van Sanden
Directed by David Ryding
cast: Damon Lockwood, Brooke Silcox, Ben Ruse, Patrick Spicer, Paul Goddard, Talei Howell-Price, Emma Herriman, Craig Edwards, Alison Browning
Capgun Productions
Blue Room Studio Space, Perth
It seems as Spring has sprung, so the silly season has suddenly struck. (Is that a silly enough way to start?) Anyway, since Risky Lunar Love had put me in the mood for a good silly parody, and knowing that Shirley Van Sanden puns even more pugnaciously than me, I was looking forward to episode one of Murder Me Dead.
Earlier at this year's Fringe, I watched all four episodes of Cyclone (by the same author) at the marathon Sunday sitting, so I knew roughly what to expect. Something vaguely along the lines of The Goon Show acted out on stage.
So while the evidence shows that the characters are completely over the top, the script jumps wildly all over the place, the costumes, wigs and accents are all highly suspect, there's a subplot or two that (at this stage) make no sense, one of the few characters we started to identify with has been killed off, and many of the gags are absolute groaners, the verdict is that it all works and most of it is very funny. There's even a Goon Show-like live voiceover as narrator, which is used well to sustain the film noir genre and to work as a foil to the sight gags onstage.
Apparently they got a small house the first night, but obviously word spread because the next two nights were crammed to capacity. (As must have been the backstage area - the two wing spaces are less than a metre wide and somehow fit the cast of 9.) The unadorned set worked well, the exposed back windows showing the Perth skyline suggested the PI's dingy city office, and the rest of the set appearing in our imagination. The only problem was sightlines, if you're not there early enough you get the poor seats.
While it's the sort of show that perhaps doesn't require "great acting", it does require good performers to carry it all off with total commitment. The entire cast was certainly committed (or should be), but special mention goes to Damon Lockwood, who was firing on all cylinders as Trent Trowel, PI. Somehow he managed to be completely outrageous and yet subtle and deadpan at the same time. I saw him a few hours later onstage at The Big Hoo Haa in Freo (subtle plug) where he kicked comedy improv butt; obviously having a top night.
Alison Browning probably deserves a mention for turning up three nights in a row not to appear in the episode; it was worth it just for that gag!
Looking forward to next week's episode; I've already bought my season pass!
Cheers,
Craig
[%sig%]
Re: Murder Me Dead continued (episodes 2 & 3)
Mon, 30 Sept 2002, 10:22 pmMurder me Dead ....
Continuing on to the next parts in the sequence of this episodic ongoing saga (is that too many tautologies?)
Two more episodes under my belt and I still don't know what's going on. I say this mainly to reassure punters who may not have seen the first three episodes...you might as well just rock up to episode four, the regular patrons are no wiser than you'll be.
But that is obviously the point. If I can drop 'round to my mum's place in the middle of her watching The Young And The Restless and discover that I've hardly missed any information since the last time I did that eight months ago, (a) I've got to visit my mum more often, and (b) soapies are designed for you to quickly catch up because none of the information you miss is really vital, or if it is it gets repeated each time.
Each episode of Murder Me Dead gives you the feeling that you're caught in the middle of something you don't understand, but you don't need to try, you can just enjoy the craziness of the ride.
I started off last episode thinking maybe the actors were all going to play each other's roles, which would've been as much fun and made as much sense as anything else going on...but then I realised it was just that crazy program author having fun - each week's programs have been appropriately insane too.
As it was, we got Damon Lockwood continuing as the hilarious straight man in a crowd of crazies. Paul Goddard deserves the special mention in episodes 2 and 3 for a heap of bizarre and well defined characters, and Ben Ruse's great voiceover personas continue to hold the thin plotline together. Patrick Spicer is ahead on points for the grossest hippie, although there's quite a few hippies to choose from, gratuitously dancing everywhere...
Talei, Brooke, Allison, Emma, Craig and Mike all get great moments to ham it up, although their individual scenes aren't written quite as well as the ones centreing on the P.I. (Although I really liked the scene of crime boss Big B getting in all manner of strife!)
You'll probably have to book to see the last episode; each night I've attended has been packed to capacity. And apparently the rumour is true that there will be a special marathon run of all four episodes on Saturday. I saw Cyclone earlier this year at a similar marathon run, and thoroughly enjoyed it, although it's a lot to take in one sitting. Worth it for this show, if you've missed the story so far.
Cheers,
Craig
[%sig%]
Continuing on to the next parts in the sequence of this episodic ongoing saga (is that too many tautologies?)
Two more episodes under my belt and I still don't know what's going on. I say this mainly to reassure punters who may not have seen the first three episodes...you might as well just rock up to episode four, the regular patrons are no wiser than you'll be.
But that is obviously the point. If I can drop 'round to my mum's place in the middle of her watching The Young And The Restless and discover that I've hardly missed any information since the last time I did that eight months ago, (a) I've got to visit my mum more often, and (b) soapies are designed for you to quickly catch up because none of the information you miss is really vital, or if it is it gets repeated each time.
Each episode of Murder Me Dead gives you the feeling that you're caught in the middle of something you don't understand, but you don't need to try, you can just enjoy the craziness of the ride.
I started off last episode thinking maybe the actors were all going to play each other's roles, which would've been as much fun and made as much sense as anything else going on...but then I realised it was just that crazy program author having fun - each week's programs have been appropriately insane too.
As it was, we got Damon Lockwood continuing as the hilarious straight man in a crowd of crazies. Paul Goddard deserves the special mention in episodes 2 and 3 for a heap of bizarre and well defined characters, and Ben Ruse's great voiceover personas continue to hold the thin plotline together. Patrick Spicer is ahead on points for the grossest hippie, although there's quite a few hippies to choose from, gratuitously dancing everywhere...
Talei, Brooke, Allison, Emma, Craig and Mike all get great moments to ham it up, although their individual scenes aren't written quite as well as the ones centreing on the P.I. (Although I really liked the scene of crime boss Big B getting in all manner of strife!)
You'll probably have to book to see the last episode; each night I've attended has been packed to capacity. And apparently the rumour is true that there will be a special marathon run of all four episodes on Saturday. I saw Cyclone earlier this year at a similar marathon run, and thoroughly enjoyed it, although it's a lot to take in one sitting. Worth it for this show, if you've missed the story so far.
Cheers,
Craig
[%sig%]