Friday, March 29, 2024

Fringe Review: The Laughter

Who: Minmar Gaslight Productions
What: The Laughter
Length: 36 Minutes
WhereHamilton Fringe Festival Digital Exclusives Series
When: July 15-25, 2021
Tickets: From $5 -$20 via the Hamilton Fringe Festival Box Office

In the golden age of Hollywood, one established performer and one rising star meet for a conversation in a dressing room. Both have recently faced tragic events, but will be going onstage to present a comedic radio show.

The Laughter begins literally the moment the rising star, Lucille Ball (Kate McArthur) walks into Lou Costello’s (Brandon Knox’s) dressing room, where the audience serves as a fly on the wall. Split into two zoom screens, writer and director Steven Elliott Jackson smartly presents each screen as makeup mirrors with the audience watching the two prepare and converse as colleagues; starting with small talk and lighter topics before diving into their respective challenges and how they each use humour as a coping mechanism.

Given the characters and story, this play is very much for those who are fans of either performer or the golden age of Hollywood. Jackson has dived into history in an attempt to present an accurate depiction of what a conversation at that time between those two individuals would look like; however, if you aren’t a fan, much of the meaning and subcontext is lost. McArthur and Knox have excellent chemistry between them, making it easy to forget that they likely weren’t filming in the same room; however, given their respective roles, it’s challenging to know if they are meant to be impersonating or paying homage to the iconic characters. As an impersonation, it feels inauthentic; but as an homage, it doesn’t quite feel like it goes far enough.

In its best moments, The Laughter offers incredible range, with talented performers who give glimpses into larger than life characters. However, the show never completely comes together, leaving the production feeling artificially resolved in its ending. But the concept, script and actors collectively show promise- it’ll be interesting to see what happens next with this production.

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