Theatre Review
The Apollo, Manchester
3rd July
Film-maker Kevin Smith (Clerks, Dogma,
Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back), famed for his foul-mouthed, hilarious, and
Star Wars obsessed movies played to the converted in a sell-out show at
Manchester’s Apollo Theatre. Joined on stage by his ‘best buddy’ and regular
film co-star Jason Mewes, the hyperactive pair introduced their latest big
screen effort, ‘Jay & Silent Bob’s Big Cartoon Movie’, a 90 minute,
somewhat crudely animated film featuring such memorable characters as ‘Dick
Head’, a savage super villain caricature of Arnold Schwarzenegger (whose
ridiculously muscular physique is complemented by a huge purple head regularly ejaculating over everthing in sight!), and
‘The Dickler’, a self-abusing parody of The Riddler from the Batman comics. It
was all good dirty fun, with a non-stop delivery of schoolboy innuendo, and
some sharp-witted tongue-in-cheek swipes at the comics industry. A raucous
audience lapped up every second of this 3 hour show, which also included a live
podcast, and a question & answer session that regularly involved
over-excitable fans climbing on stage for impromptu photographs with their
heroes. Smith was a laid back, genial, and humble host, doling out pearls of
wisdom about making it in the movie business, and delivered a genuinely moving
story about a recent visit to the new Star Wars set at Pinewood Studios, and
his sobbing uncontrollably in the cockpit of a life-sized Millennium Falcon.
This is a man who wears his heart on his sleeve, and is grateful for every
moment of a career where he can indulge his every childhood obsession. In
contrast to their big screen counterparts (Smith plays the almost mute ‘Silent
Bob’, with Mewes as the obscenity-spewing motormouth ‘Jay’), Smith dominated
proceedings with a breathless delivery, while Mewes gurned and played the
silent clown. The main theme of the night was Mewes’ life-long battle against
drug addiction (from which he has now been clean for 4 years), and Smith’s
utter devotion to his friend. The pair have a genuine love for each other,
which shines through; a love that clearly doesn’t stop them from mercilessly
ridiculing one other. Smith is regularly referred to as a ‘fat fuck’, for
instance.
The grand finale was a surreal game
involving Mewes miming a variety of outrageous sexual acts with volunteers from
the audience. Indescribable, disturbing, hilarious, grotesque, yet delivered
with a charming innocence by the man-child Mewes.
Not for the faint-hearted, but a
wonderful evening for devoted fans.
This was the final night of the 4 date
tour.
Originally published at www.thepublicreviews.com (minus a few naughty words!)
Tags: Kevin Smith, Jason Mewes, Jay
& Silent Bob, Super Groovy Cartoon Movie
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