Review of Scene 11
Wise men bring gifts
By Our Man with a Bucket, Steve Tomkins

For one brief moment tonight I caught myself looking forward to seeing some Wise Men in the hope of some more intelligent conversation after two nights of shepherds. When you're thinking like that, it shows (a) what a short memory you have and (b) that things cannot sink any lower.

In fact they can. It was in a sense quite refreshing to see the Wise Men again, but only because there is something almost exhilarating about watching new world record levels of crapness being set.

Who else could in effect spend four-and-a-half hours of an eponymous performance standing in the wings going, "Errr..."?

However, two magi did then eventually emerge into the spotlight and into unprecedented sanity long enough to deliver some rather jolly presents. The holy family awoke in the morning to find a ham, cigars, a single jar of babyfood and a Whitesnake t-shirt. A vast improvement on the conventional G F & M, giving Mary plenty of things to ponder in her mind, but not exactly worth the wait.

In the meantime, we find out a great deal about how the happy couple like to spend a quiet night in. They play snap and I spy with my little eye something beginning with J. Joseph has vivid dreams in which he is the Friar from Romeo and Juliet, and Mary makes a token effort to keep the romantic tension alive by exchanging texts with young Brian.

Can we maintain these dizzying heights of dramatic excellence? Not necessarily. Tomorrow is "Other visitors". A chance for random members of the cast to wander round aimlessly talking at cross purposes about irrelevant rubbish? Don't miss it. Unless something better comes up. Like choking on your own vomit.

© Ship of Fools 2002