Lovers Actually at The Other Palace Studio
★★★★★
It’s a laugh a minute with this naughty parody of a festive favourite. As someone who has only watched the first 10 minutes of Love Actually this may not have been the most accurate introduction to the film but it certainly was the most hilarious one.
*POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD*
Content Warnings:
The theatre had warnings on display which stated that the production contained:
Frequent Strong Language
Sexual References
Adult Humour
Haze and Smoke Effects
Flashing Lights
Replica Firearms
Audience Participation
I did not make note of any other moments to mention however I will say thet if you are sat near the aisle characters will frequently walk past you and occasionally shout near you which made me jump at certain moments.
My Review:
What better way to start off the festive season than with an adult parody of a festive classic? This year's offering was Lovers Actually, a parody of Love Actually from the writers of Homo Alone. Lovera Actually is bought to life by a company of 4 performers who all multi-role to showcase the various iconic characters of the original film. This company is comprised of Joseph Beach (Liam Neeson/John/Billy Mack/Others), Ross Clifton (Prime Minister/Harry/Jamie/Others), Martha Pothen (Tiffany/Judy/Peter/Others) and Holly Sumpton (Juliet/Karen/Aurelia/Trump/Others). They also seamlessly change between characters and provide individuality to each role, whilst allowing the comedic driving force of the entire production to stay at the forefront of all of their portrayals. The writing from Niel Hurst and Jodie Prenger is extremely well considered allowed for non-stop laughs alongside a thought-out storyline and clear plot points. I enjoyed that the story was not sacrificed for the comedy and instead was used to enhance the comedy, especially through highlighting other roles of various cast members of the film to alter their character portrayal based on their other roles.
Joseph Beach was brilliant as Liam Neeson, and I loved the random moments of action movie-style scenes and sequences to highlight the usual work of Liam Neeson, and I felt that Joseph Beach’s transitions into these moments were flawless, allowing for shock comedy that left me in stitches. His interactions with Holly Sumpton as his son Sam, were hilarious, and the constant ‘Step Dad’ reminders never got old. Holly Sumpton is no stranger to multi-roling, and her skill at various portrayals was already clear through her time in Operation Mincemeat, but this show is where her true comedic talent was able to shine. Despite knowing it was included, her portrayal of Trump was still totally unexpected and side-splittingly funny; however, arguably her most iconic moment of the show featured a Come Down With Me-esque insult towards Mia during her ‘Oscar-worthy solo’ as Karen, and this still continues to make me laugh. Martha Poten delivered a stellar performance, especially as Tiffany and I always looked forward to seeing her in scenes, as her interactions with other cast members were perfection, and her individual characterisation drew you in as an audience member and kept you engaged throughout. I particularly enjoyed her scenes and interactions with Ross Clifton as the Prime Minister because you never knew what was going to happen next, but you just knew that it would have you crying with laughter. When discussing Ross Clifton, whilst his portrayal of the Prime Minister blew my away, I was also very fond of his characterisation of Jamie and as such his interactions with Holly Sumpton as Aurelia. Their recreation of the restaurant proposal was unexpected and brilliant, with a very good sport from the audience getting involved… but that’s all I’ll say on that. I also loved that he was writing Mr Men books, which got blown into the audience.
Throughout this show, the story of Love Actually was presented with changes that added to the comedy, and I thoroughly enjoyed every second of it. For those wanting to see a naughty festive parody, you certainly wouldn’t go wrong with Lovers Actually, and you may find that upon watching it, laughter is actually all around.
Thank you for taking the time to read and I hope this review has proved interesting and helpful for you :)
- AnxiousTheatregoer
