Review: HOLD ON TO YOUR BUTTS, Arcola Theatre
Photo credit: Mark Senior
Hold On To Your Butts is a “shot for shot” parody of the much loved Jurassic Park film. Created by Recent Cutbacks, it combines physical theatre, comedy and Foley sound.
Hold On To Your Butts is performed by actors who are both very funny and technically skilled. Both actors (Jack Baldwin and Laurence Pears) and Foley sound artist (Charlie Ives) have fantastic comic timing. Additionally, Jack and Laurence’s use of physical theatre, and the skill and accuracy with which they do it increases the comedy and quality of the overall show. All three performers are particularly in tune with one another – essential when you have one performer doing the movement and another making the sounds to go with it.
On that note, Charlie Ives’ Foley sound performance – the use of everyday items (think spoons, glass jars, computer keyboards) to create live sound effects – is incredibly fun to watch, not to mention her perfect timing. You could spend the whole show just watching Charlie and be entertained, although you would then of course miss out on Jack and Laurence’s great performances.
The use of lighting is simple but effective. Although it is not front and centre like the sound, it has clearly not been forgotten about.
Everyday items and materials used as props are clearly a creative choice rather than a budget choice, and that creative choice is well executed. Some examples include traffic cones as dinosaur tails, party hats as triceratops horns and a cardboard cutout as a car door (the latter works as well as it does due to the actors’ fantastic physical theatre skills).
Jack Baldwin and Laurence Pears are very good at multi-rolling, sometimes cycling through three or four characters in just a few minutes, while always making it clear what character they are and when they have changed. They use a combination of accents and simple props (glasses, hats and a backpack to name a few) to show their character changes. Combined with their acting abilities, we have no trouble keeping up with these fast changes. It is also worth mentioning that sometimes an actor plays two or even three characters at the same time – all while maintaining this clarity.
While you do not need to have seen Jurassic Park to enjoy Hold On To Your Butts, you will definitely enjoy it more having familiarised yourself with the plot.
The Arcola Theatre’s main entrance is step free, with a lift available to access the bar and disabled toilet. The wheelchair space is in the back row, but due to the tiered seating, we had a fantastic, clear view. To get to the wheelchair space, we had to exit the main entrance and enter through the blue doors right next to it, which is how other customers in the same area accessed their seats too – so no separate doors down dark alleyways! The staff at the theatre were very helpful and gave clear directions too.
Hold On To Your Butts is perfect for dinosaur fans of all ages looking for a great laugh with technically skilled performers and an excellent use of sound.