Why not spend an hour watching the worst form of government, except for all the others that have been tried? The EUTC’s take on Tom Basden’s political satire Party is a charming, if sometimes rote, critique on politics through a tale about five young people’s burgeoning political party.
Noel Chappell plays Ben, a simple man who believes he’s been invited to a party, with cake—lemon drizzle, if you’re curious—and soon finds out that he’s actually been invited to a meeting for a new political party. Here, Ben is introduced to a colourful cast of political malcontents, including a pervy aspirant political leader, a bubbly, bumbling secretary, and a restless man who is not allowed to drink the party coffee.
Party’s humour almost always works on some level, though the comedy radiates mostly when our main cast is sitting down, yammering at one another. A bit about voting on the party name coaxes belly laughs, especially when Ava Godfrey’s character, Jared, insists on the name GLADIUS! At points though, it feels as if we are being set up for jokes we already know the punchlines for. The best moments come when Party leans into absurdism, such as when the members’ manifesto and foreign policy decisions lead them to become pro-democracy, anti-China, ambivalent-on-Armenia, and pro-space program. The physical comedy portions of the play are underdeveloped, and a bit too under-rehearsed. Chappell and Olivia De Pury (Mel) buck this, and their slapstick is to watch.
The standout element of Party is in its performances. Chappell’s Ben starts the play with little to do, though the reason he was cast for the role is clear in the later half of the show. There, Chappell’s rosy-cheeked buffoon comes into full focus, with a clever rendition of what could have been a rank-and-file role. De Pury gives an excellent performance as Mel, a cynical leftist who is the only one there with any serious political instincts. De Pury’s performance feels beyond her years, and it’s clear she understands her character beyond the one-act show.
The true standout player is Sylvie McAlpine-Lee who plays Phoebe, a perky young woman who is often at a loss for what exactly is going on around her. McAlpine-Lee carries many of the bits in the show, and radiates a light on stage that one will remember when they think back to the hour they spent watching the production. All in all, if one would like to have a pleasant evening, sit front, not backbench, at Party.
Image by Marla MacCallum Hall, provided to The Student for press use.
