★★★★
Let’s face it, 2016 has been a real trash fire of a year. As we finally slip into the silly season, Babes In The Woods offers a very welcome haven of hilarity and frivolity, counterbalancing a season at the Old Fitz that’s been crammed with heavy-hitters.
Written by Phil Rouse, the play is based on Tom Wright’s pseudo-colonial pantomime Babes In The Wood. And this carnival-esque Christmas romp is a damn good time.
Somewhere in an anonymous Australian bushland, Aunty Avaricia (Annie Byron) is our chief villain and narrator of sorts. Following the unexpected death of her brother, she conspires to snatch the inheritance left to her niece and nephew, Ruby (Alex Malone) and Robbie (Ildiko Susany). After she enlists the assistance of an air-headed emu with a split personality, Flapgherkin (Eliza Reilly), things go awry and shenanigans ensue. There is also some bawdy slapstick from Avaricia’s sultry daughter Phyllis (Gabriel Fancourt) and her buff, dim-witted boyfriend Jack (Sean Hawkins).
The cast sets a cracking pace, underpinned by a near-constant score from Phillipe Klaus. Under the hand of Martelle Hunt, the stage is extravagantly dressed with lashings of tinsel. A gold coin will supply you with a bag of cabbage to hurl at the cast and there are cue lights overhead, prompting the audience to applaud, boo, warn the actors about dangers lurking behind or shout at them to “get on with it!”. A series of songs punctuate the frantic flow of the pantomime, including a standout Lion King-like number featuring a pair of kookaburra hoodies.
Following the form of Wright’s Howard-era production, there are snippets of social commentary woven throughout. Rouse lances Australia’s cruel indifference toward asylum seekers, obsession with real estate and nanny state lockout laws: as the clock strikes 1:31am, a zombie Mike Baird admonishes the actors. There is also a hilarious appearance from the Angel of White Privilege, reassuring Robbie and Ruby of their first world immunities. These self-deprecating takes manage to strike the right balance, salting the pantomime without dampening its drive.
It’s hard to be critical of rough edges given Babes In The Woods is so patently and delightfully silly. It’s also a production that fosters a deep appreciation for the communality and warmth of the Old Fitz. Have a drink beforehand, but save some spare change so you can buy a tinnie from the cast mid-show. It’s all bloody good fun and light as fairy floss: a perfect tonic to soothe end-of-year stresses.
Babes In The Woodsis playing at the Old Fitz Theatre until Wednesday December 21, then Friday January 6 – Saturday January 21.
