24 January – 4 February
Living Spit theatre company return with a new show, albeit still without half of the much loved dynamic duo as Howard Coggins takes a further leave of absence while he continues his medical treatment. There are more changes afoot however, as the whole show is performed in rhyming couplets. And instead of it aimed at an audience expecting trademark ribald (or ruder) material, it is described in terms intended to make grown adults shudder for it is – ‘a family show’.
Will the fur still fly or could it end up as just another soggy moggy?
Regular spitter Stuart McLoughlin is joined by the marvellous Bev Rudd in one of the silliest and most enjoyable shows you will see this year. Deploying their characteristically direct approach to the audience the pair cavort through a series of outlandish scenes changing into an array of distinct but always believable characters.
Bev plays Tristran Sprout a hopeless loser with no money to pay the rent, extraordinarily little in the way of life skills, but who does have the good fortune to be best friends with a ridiculously tall cat. He is called Roger and owns a marvellous pair of tall black boots. The latter is usually played by Stu, but occasionally by a small wooden toy.
There is also a disgusting ogre, a smarmy landlord, a bike mechanic, a TV reporter, as well as a kindly Queen much given to going all unnecessary over the thought of men either covered in ogre gore or smartly turned out in velvet britches. Oh, and there is also quite a bit of Irish country dancing thrown in as well. Sounds ridiculous? Well, it is and fabulously so and delivers the sort of deep belly laughs that fans of Living Spit have come to expect.
There is, of course, much of the pantomime in this family oriented show with some mild audience participation, rhymes that veer away from the vulgar ending with a swift body swerve and eccentric costume changes aplenty. There is also more than a single use of a familiar artifice often employed by the company; highlighting the physical difficulty of presenting more than two characters on stage when the cast numbers are inevitably limited by them being a double act.
Bev Rudd fills Howard Coggin’s large shoes magnificently and the chemistry developed with McLoughlin bubbles away like a test tube filled with itching powder. The songs are typically very funny and pertinent while also superbly delivered. The rap between the Queen and Roger the Puss is a sublime highlight. Perhaps they ought to be joined in this pet shop madness by Snoop Dogg?
Under expert direction from Craig Edwards, Living Spit continue to charm and, for once, present a show that will delight all ages. And yes, in case you wondered, Puss in Boots, More than a Feline left the audience purring with delight.
★★★★★ Bryan J Mason, 26th January, 2023
