THE PIGEONS
THE PIGEONS, The Other Theatre in association with Bakehouse Theatre at KXT on Broadway, 7-21 December 2024. Photography by Justin Cueno
German playwright David Gieselmann has a thing for humans and mayhem – viz his previous farce Mr Kolpert (STC) ten years ago. And this one, The Pigeons, previously staged at The Stables in 2010. Both plays celebrate chaos and this production of The Pigeons is described in its blurb as “a fierce, fucked-up, black Christmas comedy.”
It’s definitely fucked up, although not in the way the blurb writer intended. In brief frantic opening scenes in a dysfunctional office, and that same workplace’s Christmas party, the company of Andrew Lindqvist, Lib Campbell, Mark Langham, Kath Gordon, Jackson Hurwood, Micaela Ellis, Kandice Joy, Dominic Lui, and Tel Benjamin hurl themselves back and forth, in and out, and round and round the office with choreographed yet aimless energy and constant, concerted bellowing.
These opening moments leave the impression that the hardworking actors know what they’re doing, but not why. And in farce and comedy that’s fatal. Trying to be funny means every effort lands as flat and flabby as a day-old pancake, but not nearly as appealing. Then there’s the bellowing.
As any surviving Megadeth roadie will confirm, if you start with the volume whacked to the max, there’s nowhere else to go but to make your ears bleed. That might work for a blast of Master of Puppets, but not to sustain a play over 80 minutes. Add to that, everyone having a go at blowing the fuses on the Frenetic-O-Meter and we have The Office on crystal meth.
In the infrequent moments when characters are allowed to find their reality and seriousness (the key to farce and when spontaneous laughter ripples around the audience), the following emerges: Robert, the company owner (Mark Langham) wants to disappear and have his deputy Holger (Andrew Lindqvist) take over. However, the office junior Heidrun (Kandice Joy), who lists bullying as her hobby, is making Holger’s life a misery and he too wants out. Robert’s son Helmar (Jackson Hurwood) spends his time playing Scrabble with Silja (Micaela Ellis) and fails to see that this is probably why he’s not Dad’s obvious successor. Meanwhile, his mother Gerlinde (Kath Gordon) dreams loudly of relocating to Liguria, Holger’s ambitious wife Natalie (Lib Campbell) is having sex with her psychiatrist, Dr Asendorf (Tel Benjamin) and he in turn, is having sex with every other female client on his books. There’s heaps more, such as Dominic Lui being a phone and singing like an angel, but this will have to do for now.
While these hapless folk, and others, dash about shrieking at one another you might wonder – why Liguria? Is it the Pesto Genovese, or does “Liguria” sound comical to the German ear? Why doesn’t Robert just piss off rather than hide in an office supplies cupboard? And when he’s doubling as his brother François – who takes care of the homing pigeons – why does he pop on a wig that might be one of Maria Venuti’s castoffs? What is German comedy? Is there such a thing?
These questions and more might occupy you while waiting for the play’s 80 minutes to be over. Meanwhile, spare a thought for the actors who’ve tried their hearts out when finally, the two sides of the oddly elaborate set begin to slide in to crush them like a James Bond torture gadget (design Lochie Odgers, lighting Topaz Marlay-Cole).
To be fair to director Eugene Lynch, even that brilliant director of farce Sarah Giles didn’t entirely succeed with this play first time around. On opening night at KXT, there was enthusiastic whooping from the claques as well as the aforementioned ripples of occasional laughter. Yet, as someone who adores a wacky, wicked farce and admires those rarities with the skills to pull it off, I can only say a session of root canal work would have been preferable. Two stars for effort.
