REVIEWED: Anonymous & Co.

Stepping into a hushed and cavernous, tome-filled library, after weaving through a maze of curious monoliths, the audience is met by the figures of five men in a book-strewn space, leafing through pages and pages of volumes. This aptly sets the stage for the evening, and leaves the audience in no doubt that it will very much be a literary event. Rather than a serious and stuffy affair however, this production proves itself to be an amusing and tongue-in-cheek look at the issues of authorship and validity in the tradition of Western literature.

Performed in the stunning location of the Monk’s Dormitory, the production uses the venue very effectively throughout, with various characters wandering off along the shelves or interacting with the audience members – often bringing the play’s mocking self-consciousness to the fore.

After the opening song, which includes some excellent book-based choreography, the initial dialogue seemed a little stilted in their first performance. The cast seemed to be more comfortable in the following musical numbers – the acting became increasingly relaxed and convincing – perhaps it was just opening night nerves. Only a few moments of slight awkwardness and ropey vocals, which were on the whole very strong and particularly so in the harmonies, betrayed the fluidity and confidence of the piece.

Particular moments of success came from some great acting and direction. Rebecca Walbank and David Myers perform what is perhaps the best song in their funny fight for superiority. Henry Morris has no trouble recreating the lasciviousness of Byron, and Leo Myolandis observes T. S. Eliot’s sermonising and intellectualising to great effect. Michael McLauchlan, balancing on the precarious point between subtlety and comedy in his portrayal of Oscar Wilde, manages to counter moments of comparatively easy comedy with the more witty exchanges engaged with the other characters. Rob Symmons’ Samuel Beckett was simply delightful for anyone familiar with his work (keep an eye on him as he moves around the library). The cast do an admirable job of finding the difficult balance between high and low comedy, and with a little more polish may be pitch perfect.

As the ambitious concept of the production is packed into such a short performance time, the music clearly takes centre stage which, though excellently directed by Jo Turner, and serving the comedy well, means that several key topics addressed by the production are either squeezed into one, over-simplified or sidelined completely. Hence the show becomes a bitesized introduction to some basic concepts in literary criticism, which would have been interesting to explore in more depth. Nevertheless it makes it a must-see for any buddy literature critic.

Furthermore the allusion-rich script is funny and pertinent but is in danger of alienating someone who is not extensively well read. It seems that to balance this, the more obvious jokes have been accentuated too far to guarantee laughs. Having said that, whilst the musical certainly relies heavily on the audience’s literary knowledge, there are so many varied references that there is definitely something for anyone vaguely interested in the subject.

(NOTE: I warn that there are scenes of senseless destruction of books, which looked like boring ones, but still take heed if you are a more sensitive bibliophile).