REVIEW

GLORIATOR

WEST STAFFORD VILLAGE HALL

IF you like your comedy slapstick and packed with belly laughs, Spitz and Co is the theatrical duo for you.

The production company's Gloriator was performed to a sold-out West Stafford Village Hall, rounding off Artsreach's spring season.

English and French duo Susie Donkin and Pauline Morel didn't take long to get the hall guffawing with Gloriator - revealing just what happens when a glamorous French actress, Gloria Delaneuf and her hapless assistant, Josephine Cunningham, stage their version of Hollywood blockbuster Gladiator.

Gloria's cardboard gladiator costume and some inventive props, including cloud costumes and a cardboard gladiator making its way to heaven, gave the production oodles of charm.

Much put-upon assistant Josephine was a likeable character who you couldn't help but root for in her quest to keep the ever-demanding diva Gloria happy.

The synergy between the characters really got going when unsuspecting Alan was plucked out of the audience to play Gloria's love interest and there were some raucous laughs involving Alan's lines, costume and Josephine becoming smitten.

Physical comedy and bawdy humour propped up much of the production with chicken fillets flying out of bras and into the audience and Gloria doing an expert job of keeping a straight face heading into the audience inviting people to touch her.

Where the humour really worked for me was in the moments of pathos involving sound effects on a shoestring and the ever loyal Josephine finally getting her big break as the evil emperor only for Gloria to keep swapping costumes because she wanted to say all the lines.

Unfortunately just as the laughs were flowing freely, Gloriator received her fatal blow in the final showdown, and, coming in at around 55 minutes in length, I did think the audience were a little short changed.

However if the laughter was anything to go by, Spitz and Co 'slayed it' with a much welcome dose of silly humour.

JOANNA DAVIS