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Four Star Review for Clint’s Reality

James Huntrods, writer of Clint's Reality.Review of Clint’s Reality from AlltheFestivals (www.allthefestivals.com)

by David Marren added on 07 Aug 2010

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Refashioning typical British comedy farce for the 21st century ‘Clint’s Reality’ manages to resuscitate the form with not so much the kiss of life but a full on snog with tongues. It is a smoothly run, well directed performance from the Aireborne Theatre that is exquisite in its execution and precise in its observations. Dealing with the intricacies and failings of media savvy types it throws up enough situations to keep the likes of Max Clifford busy for, unfortunately, a very long time.

Not that Clint need bother with the likes of Clifford he has his two very own fixers and manipulators to hand, two dubious types who can only really be called his partners in slime. Clint is so famous in media that he even has a gate named after him-as in Clintgate- after rigging the results of his reality show ‘Celebrity Bombshell’ in order to allow his mistress Amanda Lee to win. He lives by the media maxim that it is not what is said that matters but what is heard. This, in turn allows him to be set up for blackmail by his producer, Michelle, and his son, Dominic, who are also having an affair with each other. Add to this the bitchy journalist Holly who as a spurned ex lover of Clint’s is in pursuit of a hot story in order to bring him down and the stage is set for the action to unfold.

The pace of this show is frenetic but somehow never seems rushed. The performers obviously have respect for the superior nature of the material they are dealing with and this is apparent in their treatment of it. All the performances are pretty faultless but the role of Clint is the driving force behind the whole play and the actor playing him controls the stage with as much savvy as his character does the media. Amanda Lee is also an excellent performance. This is not to decry any of the others as it is a tight knit ensemble it is just that these two roles really pull the drama together at all the crucial points. Another thing that struck me is that although the actors are all roughly the same age whilst their characters span the generations the self assured accuracy of the performances never draws attention to this.

The laughs come as fast and furious as the action on stage and the introduction of topical subjects such as reality shows and ketamine jazz up what is considered an outdated genre. One of the funnier earlier moments is when Clint after finding a bag of ketamine on Dominic and explaining that it is a horse tranquilizer then asks him with parental concern ‘Are you a horse?’ That he subsequently uses the same bag of ketamine to drug his son and Michelle shows just how morally bankrupt he really is. This comedy drama is excellent fun and at a 12.30 time slot is perfectly suited to a lunchtime show. It lends an exciting and extraordinary twist to the more traditional farce genre and brings it kicking, scheming and stoned out of its head into the 21st century.

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