By James V. Ruocco
"Going the Distance," a streamed, collaborative effort co-produced by The Lawrence Batley Theatre, Oxford Playhouse, The Dukes Lancaster and The Watermill Theatre, does exactly what it promises to do.
It not only "goes the distance" in terms of non-stop frivolity and laughter, but its ripe, playful and acidic attack of UK community theatre (for that matter, community theatre anywhere) is absolutely wicked and spot on. It's so much fun, you're going to be hitting "replay" over and over till your hand hurts.
Farcical with plummy chatter amidst egos, blunders, star turns, giggles, jitters, backstage fights and rehearsal catastrophes, "Going the Distance" never falters for a moment.
Cheeky.
Clever.
Irrepressible.
Energetic.
Inspirational.
Zingy.
Fresh.
What's not to like? Or enjoy?
The production is set during March, 2020, a time when the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic forced hundreds of UK arts centers, venues and prestigious theatrical organizations to face the prospect of closing their doors for good. One of them - the fictitious Matchborough Community Theatre - not only refuses to give up, but hopes to bounce back with a special fundraising production of "Wizard," a musical take inspired by, but for purposes of rights, cash flow and legalities, not based on anything to do "The Wizard of Oz."
The saucy text, written with flair and gusto by Henry Filloux-Bennett and Yasmeen Khan, gets right to the heart of the matter. Knowing the ins and outs of community theatre - backwards, forwards, left, right, center and upside down - "Going the Distance" is fueled with a marvelous sense of truth, spirit and honesty. The words flow. The jokes slap you in the face. The characters, their quirks and their oddities hit home. The storyboard and its scene by scene reenactment captures the vibe, the passion, the process and the dedication associated with theater as an art form.
As the story evolves over its 75-minute running time, Bennett and Khan concoct a breezy theatrical affair that breathes, resonates and inspires with nary a hiccup or rough conjunction in its pathway. It's all here: the auditions, the publicity, the radio interviews, the egos, the rehearsals, the read through, the tech week, the clash between actor to actor and director, the required budgetary cuts, the stop-and-go of rehearsals, the silly questions about direction, motivation, line readings and characterization, the mistimed cues, the lunch breaks, the jealousies, the backstabbing and lastly, the death of a major player when the dog playing Toto "takes the yellow brick road to the sky."
Better yet, it all makes perfect sense if only because it's all true, a fact that the writing duo set forth believably from their personal experiences with theaters, opening nights, showcases, rewrites, performers, audiences, budgets and the entire rehearsal process.
Staging the ensuing comedy, chaos and mayhem is actress Felicity Montagu (she hails from Leeds) whose credits - film, television, theatre- include "I'm Alan Partridge," "Bridget Jones's Diary," "Pride and Prejudice," "Confetti," "Resistence," "The Durrells" and "Quartermaine's Terms." Well versed in the mechanics of all things theatrical, Montagu addresses "Going the Distance" with deft direction and flair, which, of course, takes the material down the right path to Oz, the UK and beyond, etc. There are moments of high passion, entitlement and edge. There are moments of farce, wickedness and verbal ping pong. There are moments of warmth, sweetness and candy-coated sympathy. And lastly, moments of gratitude, appreciation and illumination.
What's fun about "Going the Distance" is that Montagu knows exactly what she wants and she runs with it. She takes chances and they work. She gets Bennett and Khan's conceit and connects to it most effortlessly. She loves actors and it shows. She knows how to frame, build and time a scene, a joke, a close up, a reaction and a character move. She also has a keen sense of cheekiness which she uses to full advantage here. And that, in a nutshell, is why this production works so wonderfully well.
"Going the Distance" stars Matthew Kelly as Frank, Penny Ryder as Maggie, Sarah Hadland as Rae, Nicole Evans as Billie, Shobna Gulati as Vic, Emma McDonald as Gail, Sarah Crowe as En and Merch Husey as Kem. Stephen Fry (off camera) serves as The Narrator.
Casting is key to the success of any production and Montagu has assembled a first-class team of actors and actresses, all of whom share her love of theatre, performance and acting. Here, everyone is exactly right for the parts they are asked to play - and play them they do. As actors, they possess the right mindset for comedy, characterization, farce, verbal banter, interplay, exchange, expression and laugh-out-loud silliness. Whatever they are asked to do, they do it. And it works...incredibly.
Guaranteed to drive you into an absolute frenzy of hysterics, "Going the Distance" is British comedy at its very best. It's a comic coup for all parties involved - the director, the writers, the actors, the production team, the audience - with observations and attacks so wildly consistent, it's impossible to resist. Director Felicity Montagu's spectacular timing, offset by outrageous interplays, close ups and expert line delivery, produce non-stop silliness, but with both purpose and drive. The cast - one of the funniest on record - tackle the comedic chaos brilliantly. And the script, the brainchild of Henry Filloux-Bennett and Yasmeen Khan, is filled out with sparkling wit and standout verbiage you might want to jot down with pen and paper.
If you're in the mood for comedy guaranteed to put a smile on your face, "Going the Distance" is highly recommended. You'll absolutely love it.
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