A ROLLICKING PERFORMANCE BY AN EXUBERANT CAST

 

'The Popular Mechanicals', a high octane romp that draws every witty twist and pun out of the Bard's words that is decently possible. From the moment the lights go down, the audience affectionately known as “the monster in the dark” is sucked into a high velocity twister of raw physicality that leaves you gasping for breath.
Peter Quince, played by Michael Burge commands the cast with an impervious stare and an arm’s reach that challenges Mr Gadget's extendable limbs. Jokes abound at the expense of the ludicrously arrogant Nick Bottom played by Andrew Broderick. Bottom doubles as a drunken sot of past fame in the theatre world and passes out with considerable aplomb, rising from his drunken stupor to stagger convincingly into the arms of Quince. A sterling performance by Charles Hegyi as Francis Flute who quietly endears himself into your heart in a pink and fluffy dress.
Magic conjured up by the effects of Spanish soup on Mother's constitution rivals the infamous baked bean scene in Blazing Saddles.
 
This is Shakespeare without pretence, loud and sweaty.
 
Naomi McCarthy
Education & Public Programmes Officer
Penrith Regional Gallery and Lewers Bequest
 

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