I have never been a huge fan of character comedy. I have been a stand up girl from way back. So it was with a little trepidation (and with no small amount of difficulty in locating it) that I entered The Black Lung in Northcote. I need not have worried. John Robertson’s confident and surprisingly believable Colonel was a delight, despite, or perhaps because, he is such an unpleasant fellow.
Robertson was commanding to watch with no sign of nerves and plenty of eye contact with the audience. He was so believable that I almost didn’t recognise him when leaving despite him still being in costume. The character is subtly and cleverly developed during the night. Small themes, such as the record that plays at the start, are repeated and expanded throughout the evening, each repetition adding another layer of understanding and complexity.
Hunting with the Colonel isn’t an easy laugh. However, it certainly more than delivers what it promises in the blurb: dark humour and tasty biscuits.