011 Contemporary Comedy – New
The talented Sebastian Backieciewz contributed the
imaginative comedy Seven Songs for Simon
Dixelius, starring Arthur Darvill. I
never managed to get to see Darvill in Faust,
but I did see him in Once, proving
at that time not only could he sing and dance, he could play the guitar (which,
as I’m learning to play the guitar, I can tell you is not as easy as it
looks). He uses the singing in this
drama, though most of the time he seems to be playing a character who can’t
sing, which is a shame. I enjoyed it. Simon Dixelius’ fiancée Chloe (Kerry
Gooderson)—an American; are we going to get all the flak?—leaves him at the
altar. In addition to this emotionally
unhinging occurrence, he starts hearing and seeing sparkly ladies singing him
songs by Smokey Robinson, Soft Cell, Lou Reed, David Bowie, and others. His friends Imogen and Larry start to fear
for his sanity. However, after awhile,
Simon accepts what’s happened and is reconciled to it, helped along by his
friendship with Kiyoko Jones, a photographer.
When Chloe calls and wants him back (in a sort of ménage-à-trois with
her new item, Tex the flying instructor), Simon has sufficiently pulled himself
together to say no. Seven Songs for Simon Dixelius succeeded in being radiogenic with
its intimate address, because in what other medium are the small sparkly
singing ladies going to be acceptable?
I’m looking forward to hearing Arthur Darvill in more radio drama. The play also starred Ryan Early and Hannah
McPake and was directed by Helen Perry.
I quite enjoyed The
Quanderhorn Xperimentations, a completely mad science fiction spoof series,
set in a perpetual 1952 in which Britain’s Golden Age never has to end. As such, it is completely politically
incorrect. It is also quite funny. The performers, of course, are
second-to-none, with James Fleet cast somewhat against type as the brilliant,
callous, amoral Professor Quanderhorn (when his duplicate literally comes out
of the closet in the final episode, that is more the kind of quibbling,
self-effacing character Fleet usually plays).
This series has also made me love Kevin Eldon even more, as he is cast
in the role of a lifetime as lisping, skeezy, cowardly alien Guuuurk. Ryan Sampson is the hapless Brian Nylon, test
pilot and . . . random guy. Troy is the
Professor’s half-insect son who takes the art of stupidity to a whole new
level. Dr Gemma Janesson (Cassie Layton)
is a half-clockwork female scientist who seems to be the only brains in the
operation (whose emotional side is head-over-heels for Brian, who feels the
same). And John Sessions is Jenkins the
janitor (AND Winston Churchill!). The
sound design is beautiful and witty, reminiscent of The Goons and Hitchhikers
Guide to the Galaxy. The best part,
I thought, was the lift that randomly goes to the Moon and then a No. 43 bus
stop. The plot in which everyone kept
telling you to go round to the post office and have a look at the glowing
meteor was also funny. I felt the device
of each character’s journal/diary was a little bald-faced, as a way of getting
the story moving from each character’s point of view without a huge amount of exposition,
but I guess that can be forgiven. I will not be surprised if this goes to a
second series. It was an Absolutely production directed by Andrew Marshall and
written by Rob Grant and Andrew Marshall.
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