Performed by IAB senior acting students and directed by Annie Tyson.
Georges Feydeau, 1885 - 1921 the master of French Farce, wrote a series of plays as commercial entertainments that nonetheless have a strong moral sense, in that they hold up for scrutiny the awfulness of human behaviour – in this case sexual attraction!
His male characters are outwardly conventional members of the Parisienne bourgeoisie, living in elegant apartments and pursuing respectable careers. Everything is proper and correct, but the men (and one or two of the women) have a guilty secret which needs to stay a secret! Needless to say, the things that shouldn’t happen, happen, and the characters that shouldn’t turn up, turn up! Feydeau observed, “When two of my characters should under no circumstances encounter one another I throw them together as quickly as possible.” The resulting frantic attempts of the characters to dig themselves out of these holes results in a frantic, almost surreal energy, and as an audience we may be laughing, but at the same time thinking, “Thank God it’s not me! What a nightmare!”
Farce is one of the most challenging genres to master for the actors, needing breakneck speed, but precision at every moment. It needs an engagement with the language of people at the end of their tether, and a kind of joyousness in playing, even though the characters are punished deservedly for their misdemeanors. It has been a delight to work on this show with the final year Acting students at IAB who have been unceasing in their desire to explore how these plays work and to bring their skill and creativity to the mad, cruel world of Feydeau.
Annie Tyson May 2023
An Absolute turkey play received its London premiere at the Globe Theatre in London, England, in December 1993 and was a West End hit following its London premiere.
Not recommended for children under 12 years of age.
