Salient

The Eiffel Tower Wedding Party

By Jackson Coe | 8 Sep, 2008

Seeing The Eiffel Tower Wedding Party in action made me feel like I was running through a candy store at Disneyland. There were so many colours, so much variety. And of course, once you’ve munched on a couple of lollies the experience is so delightful that you always want more and more. Three Spoon Theatre’s production of Cocteau’s ‘classic’ is a spectacular example of theatre that has been grabbed by the horns, wrestled to the ground and then made to purr like a car. In other words, its simply great.

Picking up Jean Cocteau’s very promising script, Three Spoon have infused it with an energy which is both intoxicating and invigorating. First performed in the 1920s, The Eiffel Tower Wedding Party is a staple of the French avant-garde canon. It’s easy to see why such a play would appeal to this youthful theatre company. The show is, foremost, a lot of fun, for both the audience and performers alike. Without fully committing to nonsense, the narrative follows the wacky escapades of a party of wedding-goers at the Eiffel Tower in Paris, whose festivities are interrupted time and again by the strange and unpredictable creatures which emerge from the photographer’s camera every time he takes a picture. Lions, hunters, ostriches, children - you never quite know what’s going to appear next.

Exaggeration would be an apt description for the show, especially in terms of design. Kate Venables and Brigid Costello have stitched together a truly bounteous mixture of costumes, each remarkably thought out and detailed, which is no small feat considering the cast of 21. Stand-outs include the two phonographs who wear golden megaphones about their necks and the photographer, whose stripy top and striking red socks epitomise the 1920s Parisian stereotype.

Matching these gleefully visceral costumes were the performers themselves, wo have come from a mixture of dancing and acting backgrounds. The show exploits the strengths of its cast members, and includes some beautiful dancing (most notably the ballet of the radiograms) and plenty of physical comedy. As the season goes on, there is little doubt that the fusion between the dialogue and the action will tighten up.

A good looking and fun show, this imaginative production is well worth a look. Three Spoon have already established a reputation for the strength of their wit and comedy. Here’s hoping that next time, we will see a show which explores the world we live in a little more deeply.

Written by Jean Cocteau
Directed by Brigid Costello

At Bats
September 2 - 6