Ellie & I have recently watched the play Hold on to Your Butts at London’s Arcola Theatre, and we absolutely loved it. This is my review. The play was one of the most hilarious plays we’ve ever seen anywhere. We laughed so much. More than once it was the kind of laughter that is almost hysteric. Laughter that is out of control, an urge that you can’t stop. It was clear that the rest of the audience was equally enthusiastic about the performance, with many laughing even more heartily than us.
HOLD ON TO YOUR BUTTS IS A PARODY OF JURASSIC PARK – OUR REVIEW
The premise of the play is simple enough to explain. In a style reminiscent of ultra-low budget improv theatre and physical comedy, all major scenes from Steven Spielberg’s original 1993 blockbuster Jurassic Park are re-staged by just two actors, Jack Baldwin & Laurence Pears, and an on-stage, female Foley artist, Charlie Ives. For the vast majority of the time, Ives is keeping busy doing the sound effects, using a microphone and her voice, a baking tray, glasses, a wooden board, a computer keyboard, cutlery, and so on. Only on one or two occasions does she get more involved in acting. From 6 January Charlie Richards will replace Laurence Pears.
Feature pic (c) Recent Cutbacks. All other pics (c) Mark Senior.
A FEW MOVIE TRAILERS KICK OFF HOLD ON TO YOUR BUTTS
The show starts with a few movie trailers, just like the real movie would have. For example, in one scene, the two main actors walk towards each other and say hi, then part again immediately. From the off, a voice announces “Brief Encounter.” Next, the bullet dodging scene from the first Matrix movie is reenacted using metal springs, which mimic the bullets moving in slow motion mode through space.
Trailer (c) Recent Cutbacks.
HOLD ON TO YOUR BUTTS WAS CREATED BY RECENT CUTBACKS
The play Hold On To Your Butts was created by theatre company Recent Cutbacks in the year they were founded by Nick Abeel, Kyle Schaefer, and Kristin McCarthy Parker: 2014. It is being directed by the latter. After ten years of sold-out performances in New York City, it had a brief run at the Edinburgh Fringe last summer, then opened at the Arcola Theatre in Hackney, North London, last month. Tickets are still available for the remaining shows there until 11 January. From February to April, the play will go on tour in the UK.
HIGHLY SKILLED PERFORMERS AT HOLD ON TO YOUR BUTTS
Many of the plays I watch these days, are feeling too long. When Hold On To Your Butts finishes after a mere 75 minutes, you feel like you should shout encore. The play doesn’t have any lengths and moves from scene to scene at an enormous pace without ever feeling unpleasantly rushed. Using basic props, the actors switch between characters: a hat, a shirt, a cigarette, or sunglasses. At different times the same character is being played by a different actor. It is amazing how the actors keep track of all the props, everything works like a clockwork with excellent comic timing.
GREAT CHEMISTRY BETWEEN THE PERFORMERS
What makes the experience even more special, is the chemistry between the three performers. It wasn’t just us. The whole audience gets taken in by the atmosphere. For example, at various stages the actors seem to struggle not to laugh, on other occasions, Ives, the Foley artist seems to scramble and improvise. Her facial expressions added a lot, but never unnecessarily distracted from the action.
CONCLUSION OF THE REVIEW
We will almost certainly watch this play again, if/when we get a chance. One thing we’ll do differently next time around, though, is that we’ll watch the movie again before we go to the theatre. We had remembered many of the most iconic cinematic moments, but some of the minor scenes referenced in the play had entirely slipped our minds. This play is without any doubt a 5 out of 5 for me.
Looking for more ideas about what to do in and around London? Feel welcome to eyeball my articles about our tours of the Big Smoke by helicopter and by kayak, my tandem jump with North London Skydiving, my motocross taster course, the Henry Moore Studios & Gardens, the marvellous Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael exhibition at the RA, the Van Gogh exhibition at the National Gallery, the plays The Other Place, After Antigone, The Lehman Trilogy, and Hansard at the NT, White Rabbit Red Rabbit at Soho Place, 1927’s Please Right Back at the Southbank Centre, and The Unseen at Riverside Studios.
3 Comments
Great review. But did it get boring after a while of the amateuristics?
I’m thinking of getting tickets.
Thank you. Nope, it definitely never got boring. The chemistry amongst the performers slips over to the audience. So much energy. I’d highly recommend you get tickets (if you like Jurassic Park and this kind of parody, reminiscent of physical comedy and improv theatre; if you don’t like either of those, then it might not be for you). 🙂
Also, I should mention, Liam, I do enjoy reading your reviews, too. I tried to leave a comment on a couple of occasions, but for some reason, a technical glitch or something seems to prevent me from doing so. I guess I’ll try again in the future.