Theatre

A Middle-Aged Man's Uncertainty Theory

Alan Hindle | Saturday 13 August, 2011 15:34

A floppy haired fifty-something cabbie adapts to the lifestyle of his every fare. For the posh he turns toff, for the common he becomes clay. A sort of Zelig on a meter. Lately, however, he’s been falling asleep at the wheel of life and isn’t sure who he is anymore, or where he’s going. Apparently the cab was parked on a steep gorge looking down on all creation, because once he starts rolling down every empty, pretentious, ridiculous quirk of western civilisation flies by the window and bounces across the hood. Tim Boden as the cabbie is joined in his journey of rediscovery by Harry Potter and an asian Anne of Green Gables. Sean Abbs and Kattreya Smith look about 12, but the acting chops on these two is extraordinary. Both of them are able to zip through brief but complete and hugely funny characters with all the aplomb of seasoned performers. Either could fit easily into a Fast Show or Smack the Pony set-up. Boden tends to stay in just two characters, the cabbie and a Columbo-style private eye internal narrator, but he keeps pace with the kids just fine. I honestly wasn’t expecting much from this show, but I am always happy to be surprised. Snappy and funny, with all three performers ploughing through their caricatures with zeal and skill.

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