Joel Marlin [Marc Senior]

THE STATESMAN
Theatro Technis
3 stars

CAN laughter be taught? That’s the question posed by Joel Marlin’s The Statesman, premiering at Theatro Technis.

We first meet Peter (David Fielder) breaking the law. Shunned by villagers for laughing into a book while on sweeping duty, it’s quickly revealed that comedy is the problem – it’s been banned in this village for generations.

But as a boy is banished for chuckling, concerns are raised in the kingdom, whose Queen is (inexplicably) unaware of this draconian rule. A royal envoy is sent to investigate.

Fearing a threat to his power, The Governor (Paul Westwood) enlists an unwilling Peter as state lecturer to teach the population how to be funny in time for the state visit.

Joyous chaos ensues, and Marlin delivers some inspired satire through Peter’s struggle to explain humour to his fellow villagers. He settles on an academic analysis of what a joke is. “It’s truth…delivered through exaggeration or understatement.”

Quentin Beroud’s clever staging allows the show to break the fourth wall, and it is in these moments that The Statesman shines, as frenzied Village Hall meetings descend into farce.

There are some brilliant performances with Dan Nicholson delivering deadpan laughs, Fielder evoking laughter and pity, and a strong debut from Joanna Ventura.

If the key to comedy is timing, it’s fair to say that there are some pacing issues – the show’s intensity (brilliantly sustained by Westwood) fails to let the audience breathe. In building to the crescendo of a state visit, some opportunities to reflect and build upon clever metaphors are missed, resulting in an occasionally muddled narrative.

There’s well-executed absurdist comedy throughout, and heartwarming tales of discovery in the face of oppression to take away.

Until September 27
theatrotechnis.com/