Ken Campbell was an English actor, director, writer and comedian who died in 2008. Whilst entirely accurate, that sentence doesn't begin to hint at the unique character of the man, constantly experimenting, outlandish, bizarre, an improvisational genius. And someone who had a huge impact on the lives of those who got involved with him personally and professionally
Terry Johnson first met Campbell in 1978 and their lives intertwined several times in subsequent decades. Ken is his tribute to his friend and mentor, who made him change his view of the world and how to interact with it. It's a very personal tale of their times working together, from first encounter right through to Campbell's funeral, and Johnson's musings on how Ken's energy and imagination helped him shed some of his own suburban attitudes.
Johnson narrates the show as himself, and plays a few other characters, while Jeremy Stockwell (another long time Campbell collaborator) plays the man himself, complete with mobile eyebrows, and a host of other minor characters in the story (himself included). While Johnson remains on stage, we find Stockwell here, there and everywhere, interacting with the audience, improvising when the unexpected happens, bursting with energy and bringing the eccentricity of his subject to life.
Seek out some video footage of Campbell and it's clear what a great job Stockwell does of bringing him to life - funny, philosophical, cantankerous, unpredictable, and a master clown. Johnson seemed a little under rehearsed, but this was a preview show when you can expect some wrinkles, and no doubt this will improve as the run hits full speed. His partner already has his performance nailed down and gives the show a bewildering sense of 'what happens next'?
It's a strength of the play that you don't really need to know anything about Ken the man to enjoy the show, as the reasons for his appeal are well put across and the various scenes clearly delineated. (It does help to have a bit of knowledge of Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which Campbell ambitiously tried to stage in London in 1979, and where Johnson found himself sharing space in a costume with a Canadian....) In fact Johnson's writing and wordplay provide not just clarity, but a sense of style, a lot of fun, some genuine poignancy and an idea of the impact Ken Campbell had on him.
Recommended.
Ken is on in the Pleasance Dome at 15.20 until 27th August.
No comments:
Post a Comment