A time before YouTube. A time before the internet. A time even before television. This is the stage upon which This is Twisted Theatre presents their unique performances: live readings of classic radio plays. On February 1 and 2 the troupe performed The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, the second installation of Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy; I was there to catch the opening-night show.
Upon entering the Maritime Museum, one can be sure that the crew could not have chosen a better setting for their performance. The old courthouse has a serious vintage vibe and your ticket not only gets you a seat in the original courtroom, but also a ride on the amazing elevator, which, the operator told me, is second on National Geographic’s list of top elevator rides in the world. In fact, I found my joy of riding in the elevator even greater than my enjoyment of the play.
It all started off on the wrong foot with an utterly un-theatrical and unprofessional introduction by director Rod Peter Jr. Full of “um”s and “uh”s, his introduction was all too blasé and did nothing to set the stage for a sci-fi adventure with a vintage feel. However, as the voice for a variety of background characters, Peter Jr. stood out as one of the best.
Narrator Steve Barker was the perfect choice for his role with his commanding voice, but he stumbled over quite a bit of the difficult text. On opening night, mistakes are bound to happen, but in a performance where the words are king, so many stumbles are unacceptable.
The rest of the seven-member cast performed quite well and pulled off almost flawless British accents, with Arthur Dent (played by Derek Wall) and Zaphod Beeblebrox (played by Justin Carter) giving the best readings of the lot.
The talented voices were accompanied by some very inventive sound effects, almost all created live with a bric-a-brac scattered across the stage.
Overall, This is Twisted Theatre should be commended for their contemporary take on an a by-gone form of entertainment, but more care needs to be taken in the details to really make these shows a success.
The third installment, Life, The Universe and Everything, is slated for late March.