Kill the Beast: Director’s Cut

As absurd comedy theatre goes, Kill The Beast: Director’s Cut is brilliant fun from the onset, performed by the acclaimed company making award-winning darkly hilarious shows.

Leading actress Vivienne Stone (David Cumming) enters on stage, melodramatically exclaiming, “The first daisies of Spring! I guess that means Jake loves me,” followed by Mick Salad (Zoe Roberts), who stands macho, rehearsing ridiculously: ‘My fists are ready,” bringing to mind Matt Berry in the IT Crowd. Stage curtains open revealing a 1970s kitchen set, while the creative use of technical props show the cast on AV screens as they turn backstage. After the sudden and mysterious death of Vivienne, director Wallace Matravers (Ollie Jones) replaces his star with Veronica “Ronnie Corbert”, (also played by Cumming). Filming the last scene of his demon possession movie, Wallace is at his wit’s end, interrupted by sounds from other film productions on set, and strange paranormal activities, rendered by flickering lights and shaking door handles, an homage to the horror films of the 70s.

Alongside this madness, Mick and Joanna (Natasha Hodgson) are having an affair, exhibited by exaggerated flirting, the sharp script offering one ridiculous scenario after another. Moreover, Ronnie is unable to remember simple lines, while also facing possession by Vivienne’s ghost; in one realistic scene she regurgitates the ever-disappearing goblet. These brief but thrilling scenes produce gasps of horror from the audience, affected histrionics making for a well-paced production that both mocks and delivers its farcical plot.

With a madcap story and witty punch lines aplenty, Director’s Cut is a lesson on how to do farcical comedy successfully, the cast brilliantly portraying their outlandish characters with precise comic timing, amidst countless costume changes. It would have been good to see more of Olivier the chimpanzee on loose, but the show is nonetheless delightfully entertaining.

Selina Begum

Kill the Beast: Director’s Cut is at the Crescent from 30^th January until 3^rd February 2019. For further information or to book visit the show’s festival page here.

Read more reviews from our Vault Festival 2019 coverage here.

For further information about the event visit the Vault Festival website here.

Watch the trailer for Director’s Cut here: