Don’t walk, run to get your tickets, as per the production’s instructions – this is a theatrical parody with bite.
Created by New York-based creative ensemble Recent Cutbacks, Hold Onto Your Butts is exactly what it says on the tin: a ‘shot-for-shot’ parody of the classic ’90’s dino thriller (Jurassic Park). The whirlwind of physical theatre, audience-based improv and foley artistry make for rip-roaring comedy, which you can catch at the Arcola Theatre until the 11th January.
The absurd premise, and seemingly impossible task – to recreate Spielberg’s wildly successful feature-length film with only two actors, live sound effects and a motley crew of props in the space of 60 minutes – is teed up nicely by a choice series of trailers made by the theatre company. These include Inside Out, featuring an actor’s jumper worn, you guessed it, inside out, and A Brief Encounter, interpreted as literally as you can imagine. Hold Onto Your Butts is thus introduced, and I’d recommend you do so before embarking on this theatrical rollercoaster. That is a weird thing to say, right? I don’t think the kids were saying it in 1993, or ever really. Apparently Jurassic Park screenwriter David Koepp heard the line from director Robert Zemeckis when working on the 1992 Meryl Streep comedy Death Becomes Her. But how fun to hone in on and pick apart the incongruities of such a revered piece of popular cinema, to ridiculous effect, and in the process still manage to present a veritable love letter to the original material.
Above all else, I’d recommend rewatching the original before seeing HOYB. Recent Cutbacks clearly have many times, to nail the impressions of the cast members, and at points get a bit lost in the sauce. I watched the film a few days prior, and even then was occasionally struggling to keep up with the rapid character switching, ‘bloodsucking lawyer’ Donald Gennaro signified by a red tie, and the majority of the rest of the characters by sunglasses of varying shapes (although in Jeff Goldblum’s case, absolutely fair enough, and the rapid sunglasses switching is very funny). Samuel L Jackson is simply referred to by name, but the increasing number of cigarettes in his mouth at a time gives the game away anyhow. Cretaceous-era characters, however, are unfailingly brought to life by the talented Jack Baldwin and Laurence Pears in hilarious and spectacular fashion, by means of traffic cone tails, bicycle helmets, umbrellas and some inspired pointy party hat placement.
The true star of the show is Foley artist Charlie Ives. With incredible skill and impeccable comic timing, she uses her voice and a plethora of household objects to realistically – well, sometimes less realistically, like when she offsets her immense vocal skill with a flat, spoken ‘roar!…in the distance’ – recreate Jurassic Park’s sonic soundscape, and of course, iconic soundtrack, with the help of kazoos. The ensemble are intensely in tune to each other’s movements, showing this off when the slightest action in a naturally noisy scenario has to be mimicked vocally by Ives. She also brought some real magic to the dramatic concluding t-rex scene, starring as the dinosaur.
Don’t walk, run to get your tickets, as per the production’s instructions – this is a theatrical parody with bite.
