This is an intriguing show, where the story is largely told through songs, interspersed with snippets of dialogue and there is certainly a lot of comedy but also several sharp and highly relevant observations as well. Accountants have been a butt for comedy going right back to the Monty Python accountancy sketch but there is a bit more depth in this instance where the metaphor of an accountant can be applied to pretty much any white (or even blue!) collar working environment.
The premise is that an accountant called Paula is madly in love with another accountant called Alan, who is now going out with the bitchy Belinda. Compounded to this unfortunate scenario, Paula has low self-esteem and self-image. A chance meeting with a man who has a fetish for noses leads Paula to the kinky Club Luscious where she meets the transvestite Luda (who is no Frank N Furter, with a powerful sense of self-awareness) and the dominatrix Gretchen, who shows Paula new perspectives.
At the same time, the sad and lonely Fred is also finding a new direction in life as a gimp at the Club Luscious.
However, it is not just Paula and Fred who go on journeys of self -discovery. Alan and Belinda find their own perceived world of self-sufficiency and superiority is not what they thought it was, having thought they had it all (as proclaimed in the opening song ‘Accountants Rule’). This is most marked by Belinda making Alan have plastic surgery as she tries to craft her own ideal man, in sharp contrast to Paula who much preferred Alan just as he was. This is the real central point of the story, where Paula and Fred find self-discovery and progress by daring to step outside of themselves whereas Alan and Belinda, in different ways, think they can achieve self-perfection unaided.
The music of this show is not particularly catchy, perhaps most comparable in style to ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ but it is powerful, requiring considerable singing ability.
Certain songs such as Plan A, sung by Gretchen and Luda, have the flow of performance poetry delivered at speed, as does ‘The Fetish Song’ sung by the Noseman. There are some charming duets, such as Paula and Fred’s blending of ‘Paula’ and ‘Lonely life of Fred’ and a rousing ensemble number ‘Sadomasochism for Accountants’ as a finale. A nice touch is that all the cast have microphones for the singing so that (as can be the case in small venues) there is not a competition to heard over the sound of recorded music.
Director Frazer Meakin made effective use of the space, with a central open area enabling the cast to act very much in the thrust with a small stage at the back allowing a separate area for certain scenes such as the wedding planning or the arrival at Club Luscious to be performed.
The presentation is certainly minimalist but the props are used effectively.
Each member of the cast plays both a main character and a secondary character. Alex Aram is superb as Luda, bringing over the complexities of the this curious character. Georgia Maria Rodger alternates well between the Germanic dominatrix (with a great accent!) and the aloof Belina.
Drew Sinclair plays Alan but it is as the geeky Fred he is most memorable (what kind of a gimp wears thick black glasses over his mask!). Ella Maria Danson is wonderfully expressive as the repressed Paul.
All in all, four great performances of an unusual and surprisingly deep show.
Sadomasochism for Accountants’ is on until 25.07.26
Reviewer: John Waterhouse
On: 23.07.26
No comments:
Post a Comment