The Manic Pony ****

‘The Manic Pony’ is showing at the Bakery ARTRAGE Complex, 233 James Street, in Northbridge until 5^th November. The show starts at the earlier time of 7.30.
This Hallowe’en performance is brought to you by many of the team that recently produced the acclaimed ‘Scarecrow’ at the Blue Room.
            In the smaller theatre of the Bakery, a full proscenium arch has been constructed crowned by the dreaded manic pony symbol. The curtains dripping with scarlet, set the scene of the gore that is rapidly to follow.
           The story line – created buy the director (Zoë Pepper) and actors – tells the tale of an old miser’s house on the Yorkshire moors (?), where the heartless Fagan-like Lyle, has a money-making machine operated by the cuddly, pathetic Ringo (Tim Watts). This oppressor has an unusual diet, which must be satisfied at all costs and so he has his stepchildren, Lola and Thomas, working endlessly to seek the necessary rations.
            Will good overcome evil? The corpses pile up and the litres of blood flow.

            If you enjoyed zany Marty Feldman in ‘Young Frankenstein’, the humour of the ‘Young Ones’ and the dinner scene of ‘the Cook, the Thief his Wife and her Lover’ then this could be the show for you. It was a little slow in parts, possibly a short break in the extremely witty, manic behaviour would allow the audience to return to normality. The script was very clever, with rapid schizophrenic changes from one theme to another. Spontaneous applause erupted on several occasions, the biggest appreciation being shown for Brendan Ewing’s opera singing and a death scene.
            With the set being constructed by John Pepper, one expected better than the average, but the horror cellar was authentic, real quality and as good as any Hammer horror production. All the repulsive props were there, bats, rats, cobwebs, yet more gore and the fiendish, deadly Michael !!

           This story was certainly not for the squeamish, but was great fun, beautifully portrayed in an over-the-top manner by Brendan Ewing and Tim Watts who contrasted well with Adriane Daff’s cool calculating nastiness. (Hope the voices last the season!)
Some people will rave about this, other will be repulsed! Everyone will admire the tremendous talent behind the show from cast and crew. Lighting Lucy Birkinshaw and sound design Tara Webb.

This show will book out quickly. Well worth seeing.