By Aaron Roach Bridgeman
Based on the 1990 US Smash hit film featuring Christopher Martin and Christopher Reid as Kid and Play. House Party UK took up a remake mission that as a film would have been a big enough challenge, but to bring it to the stage they gave themselves a huge task to rise to.
However this young talented team of actors and writers rose to the occasion better than that of a freshly baked sponge cake, as the stage was their oven and they owned it.
House Party UK is hilarious, although it can be said to have peaked in regards to its comedic value better in the Second Act, after a slow introduction to the plot and characters. Kieron Shekoni and Tyrone Lee-Davis as co-writers and the main Actors did an amazing job to give ‘House Party’ a distinct English and specifically London makeover, but still impressively keep it in line with the original American movie.
You cannot help but to build rapport and even empathy with many of the characters in the production. Characters such as Tyrone aka Ty Ty had an amazing ability to make you laugh, cringe but at the same time feel for him in his quest to be part of the main friendship circle, whilst constantly being ousted to the outskirts. However Tyrone gets his revenge in the end when playing a joke on main characters Kid N Play, which was met by rapturous applause by the audience.
The scene that worried me, as a fan of the original movie, was the dance scene, which was perfectly executed in the film in a quality reflective of professional dancers. However true to form, with the production as a whole- The main cast members involved playing the characters of Kid, Play, Sidney and Shrene did not let me down, as they put together a mirror dance performance of the original film. This was also accompanied by a UK version of the freestyle battle between Kid N Play that also occurred in the Original film. Highly impressive!
There were a few characters who created genius moments of laughter and drama who are worth noting. One is Samuel Akinpelu who played Mr. Samuels. Whilst it was a very funny performance, the young man was also very believable in his role as the Headmaster. The bullies- Tank, Biggs and the strange and extremely weird character Pee Wee, who was told his hat made him look like the bird in the Nandos sign by the sexually confused police officer duo; were all very effective in their roles, and had the crowd in tears of laughter throughout.
The camp characterisation of Nate made me look away and cringe throughout, but Keishan Smith did incredibly well in this role and provided a great performance.
The last three characters worthy of mention are firstly the mother of main character Play, named Bola played by Eavie Enakimio who was amazing in her characterisation of a Nigerian mother of two Teenage boys. She commanded the stage and attention, and caused consistentent laughter whenever in a scene. It was a magnificent performance.
The other two characters I found hugely entertaining were the supply teacher who never really made his African surname clear with his low deep Nigerian accent and a young Jamaican character called Kelvin, who couldn’t get enough of the girls or the drink, which ultimately led to his hilarious demise.
House Party UK has done the UK and those still championing stage and theatre acting and adaptations justice. I was honestly entertained from start to the finish, and I feel an ever so much stronger anticipation and excitement for what we are building here in the UK in terms of a new genre of film and theatre to combat the already present and matured American equivalent.
With “House Party UK” being put on in theatre in 2011 (although first done in 2010) as an adaptation of a movie from 1990, without there being a UK film equivalent first- epitomizes the distance that we still trail behind the USA. However with such talents like Kieron Shekoni and Tyrone Lee Davis writing and putting on productions like these, it is safe to say this gap is on its way to closing.
Book tickets: www.losttheatre.co.uk or call 0844 847 1680 For more information, assets and complimentary review tickets please contact: Ankur Patel (Executive Producer) 07772 205 919
info@rdtheatre.co.uk www.rdtheatre.co.uk
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