I’ll admit I was nervous about seeing Frank Woodley’s first major solo show. Would his goofiness be as funny without the foil of Lano’s mean edge? Would he resort to falling down the stairs a lot? Would he be able to pull it off? Well good news folks, yes, yes and yes.
Possessed is a wonderful eighty minutes of kookiness, slapstick and laughs. Frank Woodley plays a few different characters and plays them all well. The salty Italian sea captain acts as narrator and is accompanied by beautiful gentle animations that act as a backdrop or illustrate the tale we are being told. The inspired story is about the awkward recluse Louie Winkelman whose body becomes possessed by the feisty Irish spirit of Phoebe O’Leary. Together Louie and Phoebe must find out why she has been sent to him and how exactly she is going to get out – but on the way they discover their true feelings for each other.
Everything about this show is well done, the inventive set, the evocative music (score by Paul Mac) and particularly Woodley’s performance. This guy even makes the action of putting on a pair of slippers hilarious. He spends over five minutes in one scene falling up and down the stairs in various ways and it is always funny. The show is peppered with seemingly insignificant references that all pay off in the end. And as Phoebe and Louie get closer and undertake dancing lessons and a spot of heavy petting Woodley brilliantly showcases his physical comedy skills.
It would be easy to draw comparisons between Buster Keaton or Rowan Atkinson’s Mr Bean but Frank Woodley is fiercely talented in his own right. Woodley has managed to write and perform a truly original show that showcases his abilities in a depth that we have not seen before. Even though the show is scripted Woodley does take the opportunity to wander off into his trademark whacky stream-of-conscious side trips that allow each audience to get a slightly different experience. And as a few people have asked – he only swears once, so you can take your older kids along and they are sure to enjoy it as well. If you only see one show at this year’s festival then choose this one.
View the comedy festival website for bookings and further details