New Old Friends Theatre Company are developing a distinctive style of theatre, based on taking well known titles (or genres) and creating fast paced parodies of the style and story. After the recent touring success of “Crimes on the Nile”, this latest production at London’s Vaults is The Falcon’s Malteser.
The format is the same. A back wall of four doors, four actors (playing multiple parts) and minimal props. Most of the comedy comes from the format itself, a tongue in cheek execution and weak puns. It is targeted at children and those at the Sunday matinee seemed to enjoy the eighty minute adventure.
The problem with The Falcon’s Malteser is the script. Adapted by New Old Friends founder, Fergus Woods Dunlop, from a book written by Anthony Horowitz in 1986 to introduce the characters of Nick and Tim Diamond, it relies too heavily on exposition to cover for costume changes and explain the story. Horowitz himself has written for TV with Midsomer Murders and Foyle’s War and would surely have made a better effort in adapting his book for the stage.
Here it portrays its Edinburgh Fringe roots, cheap production values and a set that can be put up and taken down in 15 minutes, with crude looking signage to create the locations of the Hotel Splendid, Casablanca Night Club and the Select Sausages shop. The blurb promises slapstick and a “fully realised car chase on stage” which it does deliver but in a disappointing fashion.
Credit to Fergus Leatham who successfully creates the characters of Inspector Snape (in a leather jacket), gangster Hummel (in black Homburg hat) and Johnny Naples, the Mexican (in a large sombrero) as well a host of minor characters. Samantha Sutherland plays the widow Von Falkenberg, the criminal mastermind and Lauren Barcadi (nightclub singer). Matt Jopling is Tim – always two steps behind his clever thirteen year old brother Nick (Sian Eleanor Green) and it is Nick who holds the show together . The brothers both play guitar for the three comic songs in the show.
Ultimately this is sold as a kid’s show and it appears to work for them but the ideas behind the shows could have been developed into a “39 Steps” style show with a better script, more development of the physical production and sharper direction. Indeed Director Lee Lyford achieved this in the Watermill production of another classic film to stage adaption of “The Ladykillers”.
Reviewed by Nick Wayne
Photo: Geraint Lewis
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