The Last March,
the first production from Tinder Theatre, often feels more like a sketch comedy
show than a traditional piece of theatre.
This original piece takes inspiration from a variety of sources (in
particular Spymonkey theatre company, who director Ian Nicholson has worked
with), combining elements of clown, slapstick and song in ridiculous but
creative union.
Bizarrely, the subject of the show is Captain Robert Falcon
Scott and his ill-fated Terra Nova Expedition to the south pole – not only was
he beaten by Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, but Scott and his crew all died
on the return journey. Yet Nicholson has
turned this tragedy into a comic triumph, with a lightness of touch that pays
tribute to the expedition (there’s a personal connection here as Nicholson’s
great grandfather served under Scott). The
three-strong cast bring warmth to a cold snowstorm of a plot, playing multiple parts
with cartoonish characterisation that gently pokes fun at the British
government, the navy and Norway (as a whole) to great comic effect. As a result, the tragic conclusion is all the
more touching.
The expedition may have taken place over a hundred years
ago, but the script is utterly modern, with colloquialisms, song quotes and a
quirky, oddball sense of humour. The
randomness of it all keeps the audience on their toes, underlined by a solid sense
of comic timing and theatrical inventiveness.
Some jokes miss the mark whilst others feel overly strung out, but the
silliness of the whole thing is all part of its charm.
At only an hour long, The
Last March is a short, concise and comically rich production – perfect for
the Edinburgh Fringe or similar festivals.
Just don’t mention the company name – it’s named after the café in which
it was founded, not the dating app.
4/5
Watch: The Last March runs until the 4th January at the Southwark Playhouse.
