Review – We Should Quit
We Should Quit, a physical comedy circus show, begins strong. Thomas McDonald and Morgan Wilson introduce us to their monotonous and humdrum work lives with clicking pens, streams of coffee and an escalating elaborate yawning competition. The familiar duo of funny guy to straight man, or, in an office setting, perfectionist to goofball, is also well played. As things become more and more strange and elaborate, so too builds our sense of expectation. There is a pole with a giant red button, there are hints of basketballs and eggs and, somewhere, we know that big sturdy wooden desk must surely play a role. But unfortunately, for a physical comedy circus show, there then proceeds to be a distinct lack of comedy, and disappointingly few circus tricks.
Eventually, we discover that the job of these two men is to push a big red button every time a siren sounds. That is all. Circus does not normally need a strong plot, but for a show with such a deliberate set up and attention to setting and detail, we would expect some sort of logical or coherent story. And yes, as a circus show, there were probably going to be tenuous office-related links to each trick, and the story does take us into a surreal and chaotic realm, but without some logical form of ‘world rules’, suspension of disbelief is difficult to attain.
But the show is redeemed in its acrobatics and balancing performances. McDonald’s rope routine is jaw-dropping, and the lack of lycra or sequins in favour of jeans and a business shirt reminds us that these extraordinary feats are also so very human. Both McDonald and Wilson are also exceedingly charming and balance one another well, and the best moments of their comedic performances are when this charm and buddy approach are extended to audience participation. But between these few saving graces, the jokes are mostly exceedingly protracted and ultimately, the show never seems to actually go anywhere. If obvious and long-drawn-out jokes about the chicken and the egg, or watching a man spend five minutes flirting with a pot-plant without any context is your thing, then this is the show for you.
