Bunbury Productions. Dunstan Playhouse. 1 Feb 2023
“This show is respectfully dedicated to the sexiest and most interesting people in the world: theatre critics.”
What can one say? What good taste from a cast of working thespians. And these are elderly thespians. They’ve been around. And around. At least two of them are household names. They should know.
Of course, their simpering adulation makes a critic smile.
Fortunately, so does their show.
Mono follows in the footsteps of the Senior Moment productions which easily packed theatres with seniors all too happy to make fun of the tedious frailties and foibles of turning old.
This one stars evergreen John Wood of Blue Heelers fame, living legend Max Gilles of the Max Gilles Reports and, would-be senior, Emily Taheny of Mad As Hell.
It is touted as a “three-person one-man show” since it consists of a series of monologues and solo skits.
Behind the scenes as director, script-writer and author of the outrageously comical program notes, is one Angus FitzSimons. Funny fellow. One imagines he probably has a PhD in serious silliness.
Certainly, in the hit-and-miss world of comedy skits, he delivers more hits than misses and there are laughs a-plenty, sometimes uproarious, sometimes chuckles.
The three stars are consummate professionals, as well they should be at their age. Their timing and delivery is impeccable. Taheny, who does an hilarious school principal's address and a wildly slosho mother-of-the-bride speech, not to mention an old new-age cliche-laden take on the quasi-Eastern rules of life, is not dependent on notes, being the new kid on the elderly block. The old fellows, however, have their scenes devised around unreliable memories. Gilles largely mimes with that beloved expressive face and Wood, with his finely resonating actor’s voice, reads from scripts.
The content is entirely simpatico with the use of notes and the stars pull it off with aplomb.
The audience adores them.
As for the critics? Praise be. They’re charmed.
Samela Harris
When: 1 to 5 Feb
Where: Dunstan Playhouse
Bookings: ticketek.com.au
