Klikka.net, Malta 2003
Verging On The Brilliantly Ridiculusmus
The Exhibitionists reviewd by Nadine Brincat
Published on Klikka.net, 03 July 2003
For want of another Saturday night as far away from the pandemonium of Paceville as possible, a couple of friends and I ventured to St James Cavalier last Saturday 7th June 2003. We all felt like watching a comedy. We had no idea that we would be laughing throughout Ridiculusmus present The Exhibitionists.
It all started when, as we were entering the theatre, my unsuspecting friend’s bag was checked by a suspicious-looking usher (really, one of the actors in disguise.) As we crossed the threshold of the theatre we noticed another three similarly-dressed ushers, prohibiting members of the would-be audience from taking their seat, before measuring their chest, or head, or taking their clothing, bags, shoes or jackets.
The plot was quite straightforward really, the play centred round three strict-looking gallery attendants, who are anything but strict and stern, when no one’s around. Actually the excellent performance was more like a series of sketches and gags strung together by the fact that the protagonists work together watching over (at least supposedly) an art gallery.
With minimal wardrobe and props the four Irish actors structured a performance of utterly entertaining chaos. The 4 attendants, get into various hilarious situations, when they are short of something to do. They chase an inexistent fly, engage in ballroom dancing, turn into a choir of marionettes, replace the exhibits with ordinary objects, and ultimately become the exhibition of the museum, themselves. In a very physically demanding scene, they even get rid of their dead colleague, who gets thrown “in the skip, with the rest of the organic material.” The crowd was roaring and screeching at the more squeamish moments (like the brutal murder of a very life-like cockroach), laughing and applauded at the actors’ parody of a family feud in soap opera. In between the attendants’ antics, a series of highly interesting and unique characters visit the exhibit, such as a desperate guy with a severe bladder problem, who they send to use a toilet somewhere behind Phoenicia hotel. They also gave their performance some local flavour when they recited the times for a particular bus route in Maltese.
Ridiculusmus present The Exhibitionists was performed at St James Cavalier between 5 and 8 June, as part of the Up Close showcase in Nothern Ireland and Malta, featuring music, theatre, visual arts, literature and film.
Related pages:
.. Edinburgh Guide, Edinburgh 2000 .. NY Theatre Wire, Edinburgh 1999