Review - All In The Timing & A Minor Case Of Murder - CSR Theatre
24-5-17
Timing is everything in a stage production no matter the size of the stage and CSR Theatre Company are perfectionists at their timing. I am not normally a fan of one act plays but this kept me enthralled and in laughter the whole way through and eager for the next performance. I deliberately did not read the programme so I would be watching everything with fresh eyes and no prior judgement. I found myself full of anticipation for what was coming next.
The Fringe stage was perfect, with a Dali-esque backdrop of melting clocks; the use of props throughout each act was prepared swiftly and easily by stagehands. The cast’s use of props between resets (of time) were a brilliant eye to detail. This was actually the most props and set furniture I have seen at the Fringe and the ball was never dropped so bravo to the backstage crew.
There was a slight risk in putting two plays by two different writers together but A Minor Case of Murder written by Paul Johnson and All in the Timing written by David Ives blended seamlessly in style and humour. The individuality of each ‘act’ complemented rather than detracted from the experience, making it a delight to revel in each performance.
I do not give 5 stars lightly but I really couldn’t find fault with anything in this production. The large cast worked cohesively and with ease.
It is difficult to highlight any outstanding work as each act was strong in a different way but for me The Universal Langauge performed by Roald Blijleven and Namrata Bindra struck a chord as who hasn’t tried to learn a new language in their lifetime and came across the same issues? And for the multitude of language teachers in Hong Kong the comedy of this act would also have struck a chord. I could hear Dr. Seuss turning in his grave wishing he had thought up some of this vernacular. Sure Thing was also a highlight for me as it put a year’s worth of good and bad Tinder dates of mine into about 10 minutes of comedy genius. In fact, I may or may not have been on a Tinder date while watching this performance! Ice ‘Scott’ Bingham deserves a special mention for his singular command of accents.
What struck me about each of these ‘acts’ was that the direction was strong and the cast had an even stronger bond; we don’t always see this in Hong Kong so credit needs to go to director/producer Christy Shapiro for bringing such a great cast and crew together. I am hoping for a rerun as I would certainly attend again. CSR Theatre Company is one to watch and I for one cannot wait to see what comes out of the bag next. I just hope they don’t wait too long.
This production has now closed.
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