Reviewed by Malcolm Calder
Social Animal
By Damon Andrews and Stephen Papps
Director Damon Andrews
Choreography Caroline Bindon
Lighting and Sound Liam Twentyman
Featuring Stephen Papps
Q Theatre (Loft)
Auckland
Ends 12 April
Reviewer Malcolm Calder
An Anecdotal Soundtrack of my Life
Following a brief run in Wellington, Stephen Papps’ one-man show Social Animal graces the upstairs room at Q for the next week or so.
I lost track of how many and didn’t count anyway, but Social Animal enables Papps to reveal a panoply of characterisations that amply display his skills as a character-actor of some standing. These are the people in and around Joe’s rather narrow world which is that of a fading and insecure
mediocrity. Some are colleagues, some wield power and others don’t. But all are his friends – albeit in different ways and at different times. But only occasionally so. It is the world of theatre after all.
Almost incidentally the central character Joe Quigley – the fading actor – deals with his own realities by finding another reality. A dog. And not just any dog, but a former racing greyhound. And getting there enables Papps to reveal a further panoply of dog characterisations. That’s it a nutshell.
For me, the dogs were the highlight of this one-man performance. I was never in doubt about which dog was which and what they were up to. Pretty much doggie things really.
Before we got to the dogs though, many characters were introduced from the top of the show – some only fleetingly – and I must admit to being a little confused a couple of times. The standout character of course never exists at all … although this only serves to heighten the final denoument.
There are some great comedy lines, many bitter-sweet moments, some hilarious schlapstick and a heap of pace changes. All of which lead to an up, then down, then up again finale.
Worth a look.
New Zealand Arts Review 