Hep Pae Brothers juggles too many balls

The following is a review of a show I saw last night:

I just got home from seeing Lazy Creations Group’s second big production. I say second, but these newly graduated school students have self-produced not just two shows, but a web series of short films as well.

Their first production last year, Boy Banned, introduced me to a small group of comedy enthusiasts, who, honestly, I thought were pretty ‘high-school-ish’. But despite the faults of the show, I could also see the potential for some great comedians after a few years of study and experience. (See previous review here)

Tonight though, I got to see a better side of them, a better understanding of how they best work…

Let’s start at the beginning.

I was invited to a special VIP only (friends and family) performance of The Famous Hep-Pae Brothers. The performance was to have two showings – one in the afternoon, one at night – but the earlier one was cancelled due to the small number of invitees. I was told that the performance would be in the backyard of one of the group’s houses (Sean B’s, in fact!).

The one hour long (each way) trip to Langwarrin from Balwyn seems ridiculous, especially as the show itself was only half-hour long, but it was well worth it. Pulling up into the wide drive of the house, I was glad I went with my sister: it seems strange going to see a show in someone else’s house, especially if you’ve never been there before.

Behind the house, we were pleasantly surprised. We had expected a small backyard, fenced, with perhaps only a few metres width of space. Instead we were greeted with a lovely pond to our left, and to our right, the performance area.

Audience seating consisted of picnic blankets and chairs, with plenty of space to spread out. (Audience turnout was less than twenty people) Blankets and chairs weren’t provided, but luckily my car comes equipped with a blanket.

The stage itself was a small circular stoned area, with three large trees arranged tripod-formation around the edges. The trees were strung with party lights, and to stage left there were two workers lights (sold at Bunnings, the yellow flood lights) directed at the stage and towards the house. Additionally, the trees were given an abstract ‘circus top’, with white cloth strips tied high up across the branches. A few props were visible, but little else in the way of set design.

The house was stage left, with a large balcony. Stage right, running into the pond, was a short dock. Both areas were used effectively, but minimally, as stage space.

Even though the day had started out raining, it was overcast and dry throughout the performance; lucky us. Before the show had even started, we were greeted outside the house by courteous FOH, offered tickets (for a door prize), and shown the seating area.

There was plenty of time before the show to get relaxed, and I’m glad to say the whole event, on the technical side of things, was wonderfully in balance with the outdoors nature of the venue. It would have been ideal if there had been a BBQ provided, either before or after the show; but that does not disappoint. The group happened upon a brilliant marketing ploy:

Audience members were provided with food and drinks (popcorn, lollipops, mini hot dogs, soft drink), programs, and glow sticks… all for free or a donation. While this may seem ‘off’ at any inside venue, the picnic nature of it all enticed you to dig into your pocket just for a bag of freshly popped corn. How could you resist?

I’m not sure how much money will have been made off this show, but I’m sure if they had the show during the day, with a gold coin donation BBQ afterwards, they would have rocked.

Before I forget, a few words about the production side of things. The lighting was great, a really effective use of outdoors party lights, and it suited the atmosphere of the play and the ‘venue’ very well. Sound consisted for the most part of circus music, but there were also voiceovers, which could have benefited from a static filter. Speakers either side of the stage would have also helped. Callum Delaney, the group’s techie, did an excellent job otherwise. The tech stuff was a huge improvement from Boy Banned, which had issues with lighting, sound and pre-recorded film.

Additionally, I must also say a big bravo to Bryan’s parents, who magnanimously opened their house to everyone for a day. It should be noted that a great many of us theatre people would give anything for a backyard space so perfect for outdoor theatre; and that if I had the money, I’d be buying the house from you for just that reason.

Anyway, we’ve settled in, and here comes the show. Basically The Famous Hep-Pae Brothers is a down-the-line ‘circus show within a show’, with the usual circus acts combined with a set of characters who are unprepared and confused. Antics included: trying to ‘lift’ a set of weights, that a seemingly strong janitor picks up without effort; juggling and balancing acts; wild animals that are missing and the noises they make; tight-rope walking without the height; and a pair of janitors who constantly quibble.

In a half-hour show, this all seems good – even if we feel like we’ve seen some of it before somewhere – but I found that the script was trying to do too much. Sean Bryan, the writer/director/performer, seems overwhelmed with ideas, and it was hard sometimes to follow the joke from start to finish. In fact, many punch lines were overrun by other cast members, who, in trying to keep up the pace, forgot completely that jokes are all in the timing and not in the speed. Also they forgot enunciation. (I don’t however, envy the effort it must have taken to try and project in a open-air venue) Compared to Boy Banned, this plotline was extremely hard to follow.

Matt Collins, who played the albino Maurice (or should I say, the albino who played Maurice), got shot off from a ‘cannon’. Pity that the joke was ruined by pretty much one thing: sightlines. The cannon was on the balcony, to stage left. From where I was sitting, it was pretty obvious that Collins was only standing behind the ‘cannon’, and wasn’t going to be shot anywhere. A minor thing, given that picnic seating means you can pick your own spot to watch the show.

Steff McConville, together with Collins, made up the janitorial team of the circus. Though she clearly has some rapport with the rest of the group, much of her performance seemed to rely on being an onstage ‘hand’ to the Hep-Pae Brothers. Not so much a character, with only a bit of comic relief at times.

This is not a comment on their acting skills – although I could certainly offer some – but rather on the script itself. Sean Bryan, and co-writer, Jarrod Fairclough make up the Hep-Pae Brothers, and carry much of the show. In a half-hour, this is a lot of stage time, and despite the overabundance of ideas and scenes, Collins’ and McConville’s parts are redundant. There’s no need for their characters, they don’t help the storyline along, and the comedy from their relationships with each other and the Brothers is minimal at best. Bryan needs to write minimally; don’t add characters in simply because you can.

My biggest comment of the night is just that: LESS IS MORE. Someone should sit down with Bryan and help him take a sharp red pen to some scenes. When you do drafting of writing, you always write more, and then pare back as much as possible. That way, you only keep what’s necessary to the plot and/or the characters. The writing becomes tighter and refined, characters more defined, and a clear direction from start to finish.

… So you may be wondering why I said at the start of this review that I got to see a better side of Lazy Creations Group. Here’s why: because this time around, I saw Bryan and Fairclough in a different setting. (Collins was also previously in Boy Banned, but as in this show, was underutilised, so I can’t comment fully on his performances)

In this outdoor, fun, relaxed atmosphere, it is quite clear that Bryan and Fairclough have an immediate rapport – an electric energy that bounces off each other as they explore new things. This energy is at its best, not when in scripted form, but in improvisation. The best lines of the night, the rawest comedy, the most natural and believable moments, were the ones which were improvised. Once the pair learn more about their abilities and where they can go with them, then I can see them applying it to scripts extremely well.

This energy is what I want to see more of. Taking the less is more theory one step further, I’d like to see Bryan and Fairclough go in a different direction. I’d like to see them interpret Samuel Beckett’s Act without Words I. I’d like to see these two boys stuck in a room together, with a random object thrown in and see what they do with it. I’d like to see them do things like Impro Melbourne, where audiences suggest ideas for them to play out onstage. My bet is it would be electric.

These two young comedians are at their best not when they’re acting, but when they’re being themselves.

Collins gave us a little treat at the end, where he sung a version of Guy Love (from the TV show, Scrubs, where JD and Turk express their affection for one another) with Fairclough at the end. Though it was officially cut from the show, it was performed for us anyway, once the show was actually finished. Here, in this song, was exactly what I had felt was needed all through the Hep-Pae Brothers confusion: a simple set-up, a joke that was easy to follow, and best of all, everything on stage suddenly had a focused energy. Guys, this is what you needed all along. Strip away everything, all those characters you have in your head, all those ideas and scripts, and rely instead on your natural chemistry. (PS. I would love to see Guy Love performed with puppets!)

Lazy Creations Group celebrated their first birthday recently, and I hope I continue to see this group perform and grow. From one year to the next, I see a definitive learning being applied, and if they can maintain their enthusiasm and drive, I think they’ll be doing great shows in a couple of years. Especially if they pare back and just have fun.

Guys, the biggest laughs of the night came when you were being yourselves. Trust in that; you have had some wonderful moments. Oh, and reuse the outdoor theatre thing (if your parents will let you) – the idea is brilliant and is a perfect marketing/fundraising ploy!

More info about the Lazy Creations Group.

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