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Directed by Brendon Bennetts

The Court Jesters head for the heart of New Zealand and create a town full of eccentric characters.

Stop by the tearooms for a pie, share a lamington with Aunty Ida and discover Bazza the butcher's latest crazy scheme...

Fresh from a sell-out season at the 2009 NZ Improv Festival, the Jesters weave a completely original, uniquely kiwi story inspired by audience suggestions.

Reviews:
"Both very real and very amusing... a very successful show by a really tight troupe." - Salient Magazine.

"Five intrepid improvisers, a new format full of colourful characters (theoretically 'small town') and an audience primed for anything – not a bad recipe for stage entertainment and a variation of one which this merry band has perfected over a couple of decades. In that period, improvised theatre has romped through more and more demanding obstacle courses." - Read the full Theatreview here. 

"Picture a place where stuffed pukeko are a luxury item, where Ashburton is the “big smoke”, and where “the town stinks, but the people don’t”. It could only be the Court Jesters’ depiction of small-town New Zealand.

And in their latest reincarnation, the Jesters certainly didn’t stink. From a few audience suggestions, the cast took us on a highly entertaining 70 minute tour of “Rambunchus Mudpools” (sic).

The small-town setting provided an array of stereotypes for the five-strong troupe to play with. A number of memorable characters were introduced, including Trish the butch butcher, Slatvia the Russian spy, and long-lost stepbrothers Kevin and Tevin (or TK for short).

The pick of the actors was Jarvier Jarquin, whose quick wit and dedicated characterisation brought the local taxidermist to life: “I like the pink hats you put on the cockroaches,” wife Emma said, as she walked into the shop. “Ah well, they’re conscious of breast cancer.”

The troupe skilfully utilised a number of techniques which tied the production together, providing more structure than your average night of improvised comedy. The audience was taken back in time to early romances and 80s school dances, allowing the cast to add some depth to characters and storylines.

Unfortunately a few storylines were missed in the final wrap-up and there were moments when the cast confused names and characters.  However, the opening and closing sequences tied the play together well allowing each character a summarising statement about Rambunchus Mudpools.

The troupe used the available props imaginatively. These included a trend-transcending brown waistcoat, some bags of flour (sheep), and a bright-blue feather boa which substituted as a pukeko: “It’s the rural air. You can really see the difference in the plumage.”

While adding moments of entertainment, the sole guitar player’s contribution was a little limited. Perhaps a piano would have provided more room to play.

So what does Rambunchus Mudpools mean to me? All in all, while small-town New Zealand took a bit of a hammering, it was all in good jest, and judging by the laughs, the audience enjoyed themselves just as much as the actors." - Rhys Brookbanks

"“It’s a collaborative process,” said improviser Brendon Bennetts to his audience, as he buckled in for the drive, “we’re all on this journey together.”

And what a journey it was. If you weren’t a fan of small-town New Zealand before, the Forge’s newest improvised show Off The Map might just make you one. From just a few audience suggestions (landscape feature? feeling?  buildings?) five Court Jesters created a town of quite delightful eccentricity.

On this night, the audience visited the township of Confused Mountain (“it used to be Mt Cook, but then they heard there was one already”). There they met runaway Rose (Emma Brittenden) Tyrone the secretly scholarly gang member (Javier Jarquin), Max the chihuahua owner (Dan Pengelly), Regina Phalanges the attorney at law (Kathleen Burns)…to name just a few.

As more of the town’s story was revealed, the experience of the improvisers was clear. They deftly guided audience suggestions away from barren or familiar territory (“Volcano? No, we just did that one last week”) smoothly stepped in to save scenes that were showing signs of floundering, and remembered almost all the names of the characters they created. Forgetful moments became points of humour – some even became standing gags.

While some improvisers seemed more confident than others, more than one dealt very well with demanding situations. Improviser Javier Jarquin might have raised a mockingly thankless eyebrow at his fellows when they prompted him into quoting “that Bible verse – Matthew 25v7 – the one in iambic pentameter”. The audience certainly enjoyed what resulted, even if the meter wasn’t strictly iambic. After all, Shakespeare didn’t compose his sonnets on the fly.

All the cast members are experienced performers in Saturday night improvisation show Scared Scriptless. Devotees of that show might be used to a more minimalist set-up from their Jesters. But the Jesters’ creative use of props here enhanced the humour well. After all, when was the last time you saw a wig transformed into a chihuahua?

The musical accompaniment at first added subtle humour. Unfortunately, a low hum of guitar feedback through most of the second half became a frustrating distraction from the events onstage.

And yet it did not spoil the audience’s enjoyment, watching and laughing appreciatively as almost all the story threads were deftly tied up – no mean feat for a multi-plot improvised show.

You couldn’t help but love Confused Mountain – and be sorry to leave it." - Charlotte Woodfield

Featuring:

Brendon Bennetts
Emma Brittenden
Dan Pengelly
Kathleen Burns
Jarvier Jarquin

Tickets:
All tickets $15

For more information or to book, phone the Box Office on 963-0870 or click here.

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