Presented by Short Tails & Tall Stories
Written by Mike Bennett
Directed & produced by Yvette V Warburton
Aatama, Manchester
Reviewed: 1st August 2024
The Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh: 5-10th August 2024
Review by Brian Gorman
Described as a 'Manchester Preview Event' this was a first chance to see a rather unique show, just days before the cast and crew head for the Edinburgh Fringe. It took a little time to actually find the venue, nestled as it is down a narrow, graffiti-filled alleyway in Manchester's popular Northern Quarter. Up a couple of flights of concrete stairs to a pretty intimate, yet scarily atmospheric room that looked like it had seen much better days. A basic set-up of a simple white screen on a small bare stage sufficed, as we were treated to a powerful, energetic, and at times hysterical performance from the terrifyingly enigmatic and dangerously unpredictable Mike Bennett.
Written by Bennett (who also happens to be the current lead singer of the legendary Blockheads), several 'magical animated stories' were screened, narrated by the late Rik Mayall, and presented by Bennett in a brash, punk style; cajoling the audience to join in at several moments with pantomimic response. 'Beauty and The Beast', 'The Gingerbread Man', and 'The Three Little Pigs' are certainly extremely familiar tales, but were given fresh, new life in a very basic, 'South Park' animation style, that perfectly complimented the narration. The more static and understated the images, the more effective were the vocals of Mayall, displaying his reckless, breathless, rollercoaster delivery.
Commissioned by Pinewood Studios in 2012, these much-loved fairy tales, written in the style of the Brothers Grimm, had a distinctly Northern flavour, and are Rik Mayall's last audio work. With that in mind, there couldn't help but be a bittersweet melancholic delight in hearing his familiar voice again. Together with the tales themselves, we were provided a rare glimpse of the man's working methods, as the unedited sound tapes included some quite simply hilarious interactions between Bennett and Mayall in the recording studio. Choice language was to be expected, and we were not disappointed.
The animations alone were rollicking good fun, and Mayall was a superb voice artist, throwing himself into every character with his legendary manic energy. Combined with the delicious out-takes, and Bennett's live performance, this was a fantastically entertaining evening. Director Yvette Warburton kept things simple, electing to unleash the beast that is the whirlwind Bennett, and channel the ethereal Mayall electricity.
Supplying excellent support was the incredibly youthful looking, bespectacled, Buddy Holly-esque Mancunian performance poet, Thick Richard. Something of a local legend, and (in my personal view) one of the country's great undiscovered treasures. Rapid-fire, barbed-tongued, cynical, angry, and virtually spitting venomous ectoplasm, he was the perfect addition to Mike Bennett's older, warmer onstage persona.
Simply wonderful.
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