Rare talent
I Kissed a Frog and it gave me Herpes
(2008)
Chesterlass Productions
Upstairs at Three and Ten, 5, 10-11, 18, 25 May 2008. 21:30 (19:00 on 25th).
This is a highly entertaining and quirky comedy from talented writer Anne Victoria about one woman’s quest to find love in a cynical world. In her far-from-fairytale life, Prince Charming is replaced by a slimy boss at Tescos who slaps her arse, romances her with cheap wine and whose toad-like qualities are depressingly permanent. Such was the tone for this well crafted piece, which kept its audience eating (a shamed kebab) right out of its hand and wanting more. In fact the only major criticism I have of the production was the extent of the hunger we were left with; at 30 minutes it felt far too short and seemed rather more a taster of the company’s potential rather than a fully realised play. The ending was also very abrupt and sudden as though they were unsure of how to close. This lack of cohesion to the piece was exaggerated by the fact that the journey had so far been narrated to us, a device which is traditionally employed to guide an audience through the beginning, middle and end of a story, perhaps finishing with some kind of retrospective insight or lesson. The negation of this anticipated conclusion proved a little frustrating.
I particularly enjoyed the relevancy of the piece, which portrayed very modern scenarios to great comedy effect, and drew obvious comparisons with the diary of Bridget Jones. The fast pace was maintained expertly by a skilled cast, indulging the attention-span of a quick-fix generation and meandering deftly through a montage of different scenes and styles, incorporating song and beat-poetry, and combining cartoon-like caricature with moments of real emotion. I hope in their next production this vivacious company might be a little braver with their obvious and rare talent, and expand into a longer, fully realised piece, which perhaps extends beyond such a limiting subject matter.
[Alice Trueman]
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