Absolutely Fintastic: 48 hour production of Finding Nemo

Watch This have delivered what is arguably their best 48 hour production of the year: a creative rendition of the heart warming Finding Nemo.

On Sunday, the classic fishy film was brought alive on stage, and credit must go to scriptwriter William David Jackson whose wonderfully witty spin made the performance highly entertaining. His interjection of adult humour and multiple references to other popular Disney films kept the audience literally hooked on the action.

Narrated by eccentric character Ursula, Mike Howie kept us engaged from start to finish with his brilliant imitation of The Little Mermaid villain. As did Vita Fox, who took Dory’s character to a new level of hilarity with Jackson adding a comical backstory of having her memory wiped by her previous FBI employers.

I’ve come a very long way since Ariel darling

Alongside Fox was Becky Hansell as Marlin, who delivered moments of comedy gold in his pursuit to find his missing son, such as Liam Neeson’s famous Taken line: “but what I do have are a very particular set of gills.”

These quick-witted additions – our favourites being the body-conscious flock of pelicans, the love affair between Bloat and the Aquascum, and Crush the turtle’s age of 150 being a tax evasion scam – made the script outstandingly entertaining.

Debut Directors Jackson and Chris Conway did a fantastic job as the actors made full use of the space, engaging the audience entirely. The expressionist theatre group of fish was extremely imaginative, and their exaggerated movement and tongue-in-cheek references to theatre practitioners roused many laughs from drama spectators.

It’s ok Marlin, 2D fins will be enough to find Nemo!

The production team’s creativity had no limits when it came to costumes, set design and props, which were all extremely inventive and impressive from a 48 hour turnaround.

The stage was swimming in an array of different colours, which made the performance wonderfully eye-catching. The lighting created an oceanic effect, while the music offered comical interruptions, such as the song “Oh My Gosh Look at Her Butt” when Nemo is dared by his friends to “touch the butt”.

The performance could not have been delivered by a more dedicated collection of students who were bursting with energy and enthusiasm. The physicality of the actors, such as Joel Heritage as Sandy Plankton and Jacques must be commended, as should his fellow fish in the tank. Their group dynamic had excellent rapport, as did their physical interaction with Nemo (Hannah Sharp), who deserves credit for keeping up her gimpy fin for the performance’s entirety.

The impersonations of Shark Gang (Josh Bluer, Duncan Bradshaw-Smith and Connor Whitmore) who suited up for the occasion, and Sea Turtles (Alice Wersocki Morris and Nia Tilley) imitated the Pixar animation characteristics down to a T.

Shark Gang

The Watch This cast performed superbly, maintaining a stage professionalism and clearly showing they were having a lot of fun. All in all, this performance truly embodied everything that is loved about 48 hour productions.

Photography Courtesy of Eleventh Frame.