Picture by John Garfield-Roberts
Originally published by L.S. Media March 23rd 2012.
L.S. Media Rating ****
Cast: Liam Tobin, Keddy Sutton, Mark Keemar Smith.
There are so few theatre companies that get the chance to put on a recently found classic by Aristophanes, lovingly restored with some academic attachments and a room of serious people nodding their heads and then talking about why Greek theatre is better than anything that’s written today.
Thankfully Spike Theatre’s The Games was nothing like that! This was good old fashioned, wonderful story telling with the right amount of 21st Century farce woven throughout which gave a hugely entertained audience a night full of laughter, some of the best bodily parts puppetry (moving to the Mission Impossible theme) seen on stage and a few Gods thrown in for good measure.
Liam Tobin, Keddy Sutton and Mark Keemar Smith threw themselves into every part in this outrageous comedy directed by Mark Smith and Spymonkey’s Toby Park. From a side bet between Zeus, Hercules and Hera to the three most abject specimens that every turned up at the site of the ancient games in Olympia. The Gods will have their fun and sport at the expense of humanity it seems and so in return Spike Theatre had their fun with a script that ranges between the best ever cringe worthy joke on chocolate to the sight of Keddy Sutton giving a perfect delivery of a song based on the Barbara Striesand classic Daddy. When you hear Ms. Sutton talking about peeing standing up, I defy you not to have a huge grin upon your face.
The Games is one of those rare plays that actually continually improves beyond measure each time it gets performed. It may have something to do with the times it has been re-written, re-jigged to suit the performers who are in appearing in the play. Certainly the production, which was first performed at The Met, Bury in 2010 and has the distinction of being incredibly well received at the Edinburgh Fringe, finds its natural home at the Unity Theatre and going by the incredible and outstanding applause deserves to be a play that should run and run.
If the 2012 London Olympics are half as entertaining as The Games then it could be a good summer, although it’s doubtful there will be many bananas on show alongside Jessica Ennis.
Ian D. Hall