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 LUKE GRIMISH investigates the lurid pop culture world of La Boite’s latest comedy production, ATTACK OF THE ATTACKING ATTACKERS, and finds there’s no need to be on the defensive with this one.
I was a little sceptical when I first heard about the La Boite company’s new comedy, Attack Of The Attacking Attackers. Most recently we have been relentlessly bombarded with the worst kind of pop-culture parodies in cinema, and with the popularity of stuff like Robot Chicken and Family Guy, the genre itself has become quite overstretched. What could they possibly bring to the mythos that hasn’t been done? Well, after viewing the entire bewildering, hilarious, hallucinogenic ordeal, I decided that the answer was this: I don’t know what they did to make this so unique, but whatever it was, it worked beautifully.
Attackers is the brainchild of animator Jonathan Oxlade, actors Lucas Stibbard and Neridah Waters and writer Matthew Ryan, a gaudy epic designed to draw a younger, fresher crowd into Brisbane’s fledgling theatre scene (tickets are cheaper if you’re under 25). It combines Pythonesque situations with crude comedy shtick and incorporates musical interludes, puppetry and even interpretive dance to form a truly strange and hilarious experience.
The Roundhouse itself has transformed to take on its own role in the production. The set is a beringed portal, at once reminiscent of the opening credits of the old Looney Tunes cartoons, or some kind of budget Stargate, and the floor has been opened to a number of tables, so that the room takes on the guise of a tacky theatre restaurant. The transformed audience-space provides allows for a pretty immersive atmosphere.
The setting of Attackers is one big horror-mashup: a school camp built on an ancient burial ground, situated between a House on the Hill and a Swamp of No Return. The quintessential dramatis personae includes a frightened nerd, a girl scout, a handsome jock and a slutty cheerleader, each with their own unique twist. The plot sets about on an ambling, bizarre journey through a pastiche of ‘50s high farce and ‘80s slasher film motifs (the pop-culture aficionados among you will enjoy picking them all out) with each odd scenario handled with a twisted grace by the excellent cast.
The cast of five are all consummate comic actors, who switch effortlessly from role to role. This is a troupe of Renaissance men and woman: they sing, they dance, they do the robot, they mime, they clown, they puppeteer (two of them are also performers of the very challenging art of Butoh). Jonathan Oxlade in particular steals a few scenes with his very diverse array of weird bit-part characters.
The set construction is very clever and efficient, with intentionally tacky props and costumes and some really brilliant puppets. Blaring music, a full soundscape and innovative scene changes make for some pretty impressive eye-candy. The thing that struck me about this production is that its utter inability to grow stale; there is always some major shift in how the narrative is being presented, whether through dance or montage or projected images. This is a play that really keeps the audience’s minds busy. A huge amount of effort has gone into using these elements to create an immersive and colourful mis-en-scene.
There were a few minor hitches, mostly technical, and a few major props were missing (the villain made reference to having one eye but didn’t wear her all-important eye-patch throughout the entire play) but these problems will probably be ironed out after its premier performance. Most of the time, the small mistakes that pocked the performance were just as funny as the gags thanks to the quick-on-their-feet cast.
My only concern for the success of this comedy would be audience reaction. The premiere I attended was filled with QUT drama students who knew some of the cast personally, so audience reaction was tremendous. If a different audience doesn’t accommodate the need to laugh along with the crowd as much as this first one did, it might be a problem, because the humour is very niche.
The laughs are fresh and varied, and don’t rely on a small pool of gags. The sets and props are a sight to behold, the atmosphere fantastic, the experience incomparable. If you have any doubts, consider this: would you like to see Plan Nine From Outer Space performed by the Mighty Boosh?
ATTACK OF THE ATTACKING ATTACKERS is playing until Nov 15, at 6:30pm Tuesdays and Wednesdays and 8pm Thursday-Saturday. Tickets are available online and at the Roundhouse Theatre Box office. www.roundhousetheatre.com.au
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