Thing is…Levelland was written by one of my favourite American comedians, it has one of my favourite Australian comedians in it, and it also features the guy who’s possibly my favourite comedian of all (yeah, talking about that Canadian here)...thing is…this show isn’t funny.
That being said, Levelland is a really worthwhile play to see. Rich Hall has written an incisive, thought provoking piece which explores trust, deception, and authority. There is a subtle interplay of ‘who’s conning who’ which, by the resolution of the play, opens more questions than it does provide answers. Rich has taken recent events which dominate the political and social landscape of America (and in many ways the world) and projected them into a parable like story which unfolds into a tension filled drama.
Performance wise Rich Hall does himself proud, playing the central character whose weaknesses are exposed as strengths and strengths exposed as weaknesses. Nathaniel Davis provides a star turn as “Scrope”, initially intimidating but ultimately the pansy of all, in many ways representing the ‘common man’. Russell Fletcher steps into his role with gusto while Mike Wilmot seems a natural as the menacing “Guffy”.
There are some American references that may leave Australian audiences a little stumped and overall the show is jam packed with dialogue. There is a lot to cognate in this show and much of the content needs to be digested post show. Overall this is a really good play and definitely worth seeing. There are ideas here that will stay with you and speak to a sense of irony in your soul. However, this is the Comedy Festival so it must be noted that this is not a show which is likely to make you laugh.
For booking details go to Levelland