Theatre / Reviews
Review: The Spy Who Loved Me Tender, The Wardrobe Theatre – ‘Bond and Elvis are the perfect cocktail’
Who could have guessed that Bond would pair so perfectly with Elvis? Previous makers of mash-up musicals including Elvis In Blue Hawaii and Les Gloriables, Stroud-based comedy theatremakers Spitz & Co return to Bristol with their wonderful new endeavour, The Spy Who Loved Me Tender.
The premise? Ian Pollock (played by Joe Reeve), aka “Gloucestershire’s premiere Elvis tribute act”, is joined by his wonderful tour manager Josephine Cunningham (Susie Donkin) on their journey to creating a new “genre-busting”, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber-bothering musical.
A charismatic and personal welcome from Josephine meets with some sweet shoulder jiving from the settling crowd, and the tone is set for an evening which celebrates the wonder of Elvis in a nuanced fashion.
Reeve is a remarkable impersonator, encapsulating all of Elvis’s iconic mannerisms without over-embellishment. And even more impressively, with understated humour, he is able to hold both Bond and Elvis within balance for the entire show, throwing in plenty of hip thrusts and dramatic eyebrow raises.
His relationship to the character of Josephine is hilarious; the perfect mick takes on the well-known dynamic of famous celebrity versus their busybody assistant, fussing with perfectionism to the point of slight annoyance.
And in an evening studded with fabulous vocals, Reeve channels Elvis’s vocal ease and power with alacrity, all whilst juggling humour, audience participation and many, many props.
Over the course of the show, we are taken on a whirlwind tour of Egypt, Switzerland and many other famous Bond settings which are expressed with a simple backdrop and minimal props. This deft staging maintains the sheer pace of the evening; the audience is propelled from one eccentric and hilarious scene to the next.
The comedy is deliberately haphazard, playing on a winningly DIY aesthetic that sees some scene changes orchestrated via printouts and self-queued sound effects. It’s all irreverent stuff, and for the most part, watching the duo through all their mishaps and misadventures is a joy. However, at times, it borders on the overly-awkward side, with comic moments lingering on too long to keep the flow of the show going.
More than a performance, this show is an immersive, interactive experience. The welcoming atmosphere is such that all the audience are excited, and willing, to join into the weird and wonderful mashup world in which the duo are operating. Uniquely named Bond Girls, a human fruit machine and Bond’s inevitable date partner are all picked out at random – a lovely touch which showcases the quick wit and fine-tuned improv skills of both Reeve and Donkin.
Ideal for Bond and Elvis lovers alike, The Spy Who Loved Me Tender is a fabulous rendition of Elvis’s persona that casts the star in a whole new light. It’s certain to get you belly laughing and singing along to all the famous hits, and ideal fodder for those who seek diabolical villains, Bond girls, car chases, sing-along hits and/or plenty of bling.
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The Spy Who Loved Me Tender is at The Wardrobe Theatre on January 21st-24th. Tickets are available at www.thewardrobetheatre.com.
All photos: Mark Hallett
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