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Camden Fringe
A show full of laughs but where, much like with the residents of Hell, there is at times a lack of actual body. Summary
Rating
Shows that began life as podcasts are certainly becoming commonplace right now. The Graveyard Snack, from Other Mysteries Theatre, is the next one to make the leap from recording to live performance. Although maybe ‘live’ isn’t quite the right word here, because we’re down below, deep in the cauldron that is Hell, where Iris (Mackenzie Larsen) and Eleos (Jonah Walsh) are forever broadcasting their radio show on the hottest station around, Radio 666. For Iris it’s just another day of abject boredom, having been hosting the same show now for four millennia.
Luckily – or maybe unluckily – something exciting has just happened in the shape of an actual living body, complete with actual flesh, breaking through from above and sending their world into chaos. Thus begins an investigation into who was responsible for allowing the living to cross over, and how to stop it causing a zombie apocalypse in the world above.
The biggest problem with The Graveyard Snack is that it feels more like a sketch show than a fully formed one hour theatrical production, which may well be because of its podcast origins. There are plenty of well-considered characters, all remarkably rich in depth and structure, and that on their own provide some absolutely great moments of comedy. Dinner With Your Demons makes for a wonderful segment with its cast of characters working well together. But it is just that, a segment, and there are too many ‘segments’ and not enough show. It feels like we’re halfway through the performance before we even hit the actual story of the living being entering their realm and the opening of the investigation into how it was allowed to happen. As the central story finally does come to the fore, the show suddenly takes on a theme of climate crisis, although it’s not strong enough to really resonate. It does, though, allow for an enjoyable David Attenborough cameo and some silly yet effective white sheet ghost performances.
Ok, maybe I’m being too demanding to expect a stronger plot within what is otherwise a great collection of well written characters. Others might be more willing to overlook the weakness at the show’s centre and instead enjoy the madcap nature of it all. There is certainly lots to admire. The (in)Human Resources admin with her permanently bored expression as she files her nails and drones on about team bonding is brilliantly brought to life (or death?) by Caylyn Sheldon, whilst the portrayal of speechless Isolation (also Sheldon) is a masterclass in getting a big laugh from doing very little. The four strong cast (James Lyon making up the quartet) do tackle every character full on, and if one doesn’t quite work, that’s fine because there’s plenty more to choose from. There could perhaps be more consideration of volume balance, with some characters being too softly spoken compared to the next – it would seem as a result of straining to do certain accents?
The Graveyard Snack undoubtedly demonstrates superbly the ability of its writing team. It even makes me want to give the podcasts a listen now to delve deeper into what they have created. But if this team want to bring the podcast to the stage again, more consideration is needed in making it a fully formed show rather than a sum of its individual parts.
Written by: Ashlyn Olson, Candice MacAllister, Joe Walsh
Directed by: Candice MacAllister
Lighting & Technical by: Rebecca Lyon
Produced by: Candice MacAllister for Other Mysteries Theatre
The Graveyard Snack has completed its run for Camden Fringe
You can read more about this show in our recent interview here.
