OUR hero dangles precariously from the edge of a building’s drainpipe suspended only by his walking stick.
These cliffhanger moments are typical of Christopher Samuel Carroll’s affectionate one-man-show parody of the Victorian literary serial, with bold but clueless adventurer Bennett Cooper Sullivan bungling his way through the Ireland of 1899.
The Victorian setting provided an opportunity to be playful and florid with language, for example how Bennett pirouettes “like a fertile salmon” to dodge gunfire, and an almost obligatory cameo from Oscar Wilde (with his mum) a further opportunity for zestful wordplay.
Carroll’s strong Butoh influence came through in the impressive physicality of his performance, with one highlight having him mount an imaginary penny farthing for a pantomime chase sequence.
Poor sightlines at Smith’s obscured some of the detail of Carroll’s performance, but fortunately a vivid and lively script and Carroll’s own expressive face told the story effectively.
Although the disjointedness of Bennett’s escapades is part of the show’s joke, the play built to a surprisingly moving and eloquent climax.
After a well-deserved sold-out opening on Tuesday night a further show has been scheduled for Thursday night, providing an opportunity to see this polished and very funny homage to the age of Doyle and Verne.
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