Polyphony
After Chiswick, I headed to the Battersea Arts Centre for a preview of Daniel Kitson's latest show "Polyphony". Not for the first time Kitson was cutting it fine, having informed us that the show was due to open in Melbourne on Wednesday and he'd already put his flight to Australia back to address some technical issues. When your show hangs on recording 20 separate tracks of dialogue to be played on 20 separate cassette players, such issues seem more likely to arise than not.
The conceit is that these cassette tapes are played, each providing a voice for Kitson to interact with during the course of the hour. It reminded me of his not entirely successful theatre outing "As of 1.52pm GMT on Friday April 27th 2012, This Show Has No Title", a show ostensibly about writing a show. Polyphony is a show about performing a show. Starting with some characteristic ruminations on the nature of loneliness, Kitson proceeds to play the voices (through a Mac on this occasion) designed to each represent a member of the audience.
Kitson persistently attempts to start his story, which just so happens to be about a man called Daniel recording voices on tapes, but is derailed by the queries of the voices who are concerned with his potential manipulation of them. As the hour progresses, there is a gradual mutiny as one by one the tape recorders are stopped. What we're left with is what feels like a battle between Kitson and his ego.
It's frequently very funny, particularly when the voices take him to task about the recurring themes of his work and his "pretentiously low" ticket prices. Anyone who begrudged getting up for a 10am performance of "It's Always Right Now, Until It's Later" in Edinburgh also has their concerns addressed. There's also some fun to be had for hardcore comedy fans in identifying which of his fellow comedians Kitson has enlisted. I identified Tim Key, Alun Cochrane, Will Adamsdale and Isy Suttie among the mix.
However, I had the nagging feeling that if anyone other than my favourite stand-up comedian and performer had written this, I'd find it more than a bit pretentious. This is not exactly entry level Kitson, but those well versed in his work will find much to enjoy in it. I look forward to seeing it again after it's been honed down under.
The conceit is that these cassette tapes are played, each providing a voice for Kitson to interact with during the course of the hour. It reminded me of his not entirely successful theatre outing "As of 1.52pm GMT on Friday April 27th 2012, This Show Has No Title", a show ostensibly about writing a show. Polyphony is a show about performing a show. Starting with some characteristic ruminations on the nature of loneliness, Kitson proceeds to play the voices (through a Mac on this occasion) designed to each represent a member of the audience.
Kitson persistently attempts to start his story, which just so happens to be about a man called Daniel recording voices on tapes, but is derailed by the queries of the voices who are concerned with his potential manipulation of them. As the hour progresses, there is a gradual mutiny as one by one the tape recorders are stopped. What we're left with is what feels like a battle between Kitson and his ego.
It's frequently very funny, particularly when the voices take him to task about the recurring themes of his work and his "pretentiously low" ticket prices. Anyone who begrudged getting up for a 10am performance of "It's Always Right Now, Until It's Later" in Edinburgh also has their concerns addressed. There's also some fun to be had for hardcore comedy fans in identifying which of his fellow comedians Kitson has enlisted. I identified Tim Key, Alun Cochrane, Will Adamsdale and Isy Suttie among the mix.
However, I had the nagging feeling that if anyone other than my favourite stand-up comedian and performer had written this, I'd find it more than a bit pretentious. This is not exactly entry level Kitson, but those well versed in his work will find much to enjoy in it. I look forward to seeing it again after it's been honed down under.
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