The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring is famously three hours long, so what if the plot was condensed into merely an hour of entertainment, with only three actors and a range of household items to produce sound effects? Recent Cutbacks Theatre Company bravely take on such a task, and what follows is an hour of pure hilarity.
Fly, You Fools is an unashamedly geeky (and absolutely hilarious…) stripped-back remake of the film, essentially presenting a highlight reel of the movie’s best moments. The actors use their bodies, shadows, and everything in between to breathlessly transform from location to location. At points it feels delightfully reminiscent of school drama performances, in the most wonderfully chaotic and contagiously hilarious way. The three-strong cast nail their purposefully dodgy impressions of the famous characters – Nick Abeel’s Gandalf is a highlight, instilling within his performance such a preposterously large amount of wisdom that you quickly realise Gandalf is in fact a surprisingly sinister wizard.
It is these kinds of impressions and in-jokes that make Fly, You Fools an absolutely perfect show for die-hard fans of the film. Some of the best moments come when the actors point out the obvious flaws in the plot (Why didn’t Gandalf just fly the eagle to Mount Doom?), and clearly the auditorium is full of Middle-earth enthusiasts. This combination of frighteningly accurate recreations from the movie and tongue-in-cheek references to modern day or pop culture (‘byeeeeeeeeeeee’ being one) creates an electric atmosphere.
Yet behind this comedic tone is genuinely staggering skill. Foley artist Kelly Robinson is somehow able to transform the stage into a windy location just by making sounds into a microphone, and the actors are remarkably in sync with the effects. Sure, rehearsals must have been an absolute blast, but also ridiculously hard work. The cast transform from hobbit to wizard to monster with such energy and enthusiasm that it is difficult to figure out how they have simply not collapsed onto the floor by the end of the show.
Fly to Pleasance Courtyard now – I have never laughed so hard in a theatre.
