Given its rather ambiguous title, I was not entirely sure what to expect from the three-man comedy, Pelican. I prepared to greet the show with an open mind, rather naïvely thinking that it might perhaps have something to do with birds, maybe even sizeable water birds at that. How wrong I was, but how pleasantly I was surprised.

Consisting of three Ex-Footlights members, Guy Emanuel, Sam Grabiner & Jordan Mitchell, the vivacity and dynamism of the trio was truly staggering. The theatre came alive with their energy, and the room seemed almost to buzz with a sense of positivity and sheer enjoyment at being in the same vicinity as such talented performers.

Upon entering the theatre, I was greeted by the rather unusual sight of an auditorium full of tennis balls. They covered the seats, littered the floor and spilled out into the aisle. The bewilderment of the audience at such a strange concept was obvious, with confused murmurs running through the room until it gradually became clear that the tennis balls had a very specific purpose. “Look, a coconut shy!” someone said, and, sure enough, there was indeed a set of three coconuts, complete with stands, in the middle of the performance space. Suddenly, from behind me, a tennis ball flew through the auditorium and bounced off one of the metal posts. Then another, and another. Soon, there were tennis balls whistling past my nose, bouncing noisily around and inspiring a great sense of merriment in the audience, who laughed together, reliving the pleasures of childhood fairs and summer fetes. This was my first surprise of the evening, and one of many innovative and highly enjoyable moments that were to come.

“Python-esque in its daring and innovative style”

The concept of the show is an extremely clever one, revolving around the character of Charles Heron, a TV actor, who endeavours to seek a solution to a crisis that he finds himself in namely, the somewhat unusual problem of having accepted a ‘cursed’ role in a Hollywood production. With the help of his lawyer, Mark Swift, the story gradually unravels with many twists and turns along the way.

Python-esque in its daring and innovative style, and yet remaining totally original in concept and delivery, Pelican was a wonderful melange of farce, stand-up, physical theatre and the absurd. There were some truly inspired moments, and these were greatly appreciated by the audience, who were encouraged to participate in much of the show.

Notable moments of audience participation included a ‘French-speaking’, ‘incredible linguist’ in the audience– who neither spoke French, nor appeared to fancy himself as much of a linguist– and a bizarre but hugely entertaining yoga sequence, with two audience members alone on stage. The trio were not afraid to break the fourth wall and struck a perfect balance between performance and audience participation.

But the interactive nature of this show was only one of many facets to its charm. The individual performances from Guy, Sam and Jordan were highly polished and extremely funny, with their reactions and interactions with each other demonstrating their talent for fast-paced comedy and their quick-witted and perceptive approach. There was a clear chemistry between the three, who sparred sharply with each other and the dynamic created was invigorating to watch.

The performance was also highly original in its use of props and costume, ranging from cherry tomatoes to roller disco suits, bridging time periods and genres of theatre in its tackling of different ideas. This worked well and added a quirkiness to the show that was to be much admired and enjoyed. The one-liners were plentiful and extremely funny and the accompanying music and voice-overs were well-chosen and greatly added to the atmosphere of the show.

Review: Bad Jews

The only thing that was perhaps a little off-putting at times was the pace of the piece, as it appeared to fluctuate between a rapid pace and a much slower tempo which dragged a little in places. However, the audience’s attention and interest was sustained throughout and much laughter was to be heard. I would be very interested in seeing the company perform again, and feel sure that there are equally wonderful things to come. This is a performance not to be missed