Masterclass returns to maintain the momentum at the Old Fitz, and succeeds without breaking a sweat.
The brainchild of actors Charlie Garber and Gareth Davies, it takes the form of an acting seminar given by Davies, the greatest actor alive. But there’s a problem: the last time Davies acted, he was so transcendent that he literally blew people’s minds, leaving several dead. Masterclass is mainly taken up with Garber trying to coax Davies back on the horse, complicated by the fact that Garber is not just an acolyte but an invention – a character Davies created, one whom refuses to be left behind.
The whole thing manages to be both polished and loose, and the Inside The Actors Studio conceit gives the show an energising sense of interactivity. The space at the Old Fitz is so small that breaking the fourth wall feels almost like a relief. Garber and Davies jump back and forth between the seminar itself and backstage downtime; the audience either getting talked to or talked about. The boys also travel back in time to relive Davies’ greatest hits, or so the pair can settle arguments about who said what when. If only disputes of history could always be settled so emphatically.
Masterclass has the whiff of undergraduate revue, but it’s expertly played. Garber is all wide-eyed encouragement and positivity, even in the face of a dawning awareness of his own artificiality. It’s a Frankenstein story but even scarier, driven by dreams of actorly glory, not scientific innovation. The whole thing is bonkers and hilariously free-associative, and the duo has the good sense not to overstay its welcome, onstage just over an hour. By play’s end, Davies has rediscovered his love of acting, and Garber has become a person all his own, the umbilical cord cut as Davies strikes out alone on the path to greatness.
3.5/5 stars
Masterclass is playing at the Old Fitz Theatre until Saturday January 31.
