The Right Size, Stop Calling me Vernon

Review in Issue 7-4 | Winter 1995

Watching The Right Size's Stop Calling Me Vernon one is reminded of the old adage that tragedy and comedy are inexorably linked. However, the chance for any real pathos to develop in the characters of Austin and Porter was swamped by the superb clowning of the two performers Sean Foley and Hamish McColl. The highly visual gags were somewhat cliched and hackneyed, but then that was the whole point. The two performers rattled through a series of well performed visual gags, slapstick routines, dances and songs in an attempt to explore human relations. There was a somewhat Beckettian air to the piece as the two vaudevillians tried to find solace in their repetitive existence by entertaining themselves, most notably by pretending a postman had brought them a gift. The gift merely turns out to be yet another opportunity to explore insane clowning as the two attempt to break from their traditional routine. Maybe there is a comment here on the mundanity of life's existence, but any sense of endearment to the characters was soon overwhelmed by classic comedy. It was a highly enjoyable evening and one should perhaps question attempts at philosophising over the material.

Presenting Artists
Presenting Venue
Date Seen
  1. Sep 1995

This article in the magazine

Issue 7-4
p. 25