A Slacker's Guide to Western Theatre

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Giving a brief but witty overview of the history of Western theatre is not the easiest thing to do but the enthusiastic cast of A Slacker’s Guide... manages to pull it off quite successfully. Starting with the beginnings of theatre in the ancient times, the plot moves through the highlights from various centuries.

Occasionally some of the gimmickry becomes a bit too much, and after a while some jokes lose their potency. The race to find the best Elizabethan play becomes a bit tedious and, although deliberately ridiculous, the cringeworthiness of the famous quotes shouted out makes strange Shakespeare-based slapstick. However, there are humorous takes on the likes of Brecht and Pinter, and an interesting venture into the grounds of Commedia dell’Arte and biblical plays.

The best part of the show is the whistle-stop tour of Western theatrical styles. However, when simply describing the various movements, some of the actors’ comments could benefit from being less casual – obviously no one is going to like all the theatrical traditions, but simply proclaiming playwrights boring or pretentious isn’t entertaining Nonetheless, the actors do eventually conclude that there is something valuable to learn from each development they’ve discussed.

Despite the sometimes excessive parody, there is a definite sense of thoughtfulness as well as a self-consciously ironic attitude towards theatre to be found in A Slacker's Guide which shines through the cleverly rewritten famous musical numbers coming from student performers at the Fringe.