The Double Act, Arcola Theatre Review
Written by Annie for Theatre and Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review
The latest offering at The Arcola Theatre is Mark Jagasia’s dark comedy The Double Act A play which challenges societal opinions on comedy, how far are we really able to take it, and are we really as supportive of a dark joke as we potentially make out to be.
Jagasia’s play centres around a washed up double act, 40 years after their prime, and at their first encounter since their traumatic downfall. The play starts with all the eeriness and suspense I was hoping we might encounter, and excellently opens the audience into their rocky world, whilst still keeping you at arm’s length.
The concept is inherently clever, making you question the plausibility of dark humour in today’s society, is it as socially acceptable as we like to think, or is it a dying genre with its stars? Billy Bash (Nigel Betts) & Clifford Biddle (Nigel Cooke) are the broken duo behind ‘Biddle & Bash’ the once adored 80’s comedic duo, but it’s quickly apparent their careers and humour are not as strong as they once were.
Bash, once crowned ‘Britain’s third most offensive comedian’ is evidently struggling to understand why his career is in shreds, and also why he can’t seem to make a comeback. Biddle is a little more realistic, having changed his set to keep up with the times, or as much as he can. The duo bicker and clash over the topic, whilst reminiscing over their dated feats.
Their interactions slowly begin to seem a little too orchestrated, the more we are introduced to Billy’s upstairs neighbour and mega fan, Gulliver. As the story unfolds, it’s evident there is more than what’s on the surface to this trio’s paths crossing.
Edward Hogg plays Gulliver with effortless comedic ease, leaning into the character’s gimmick, laugh-a-minute nature with all his mannerisms. It contrasts the stoic nature of Cook’s Cliff - who despite his best efforts can’t stop himself from looking out for Billy, although it’s later evident it’s for far more selfish reasons than initially expected.
Betts has the hardest job, to portray a character that’s part confused ageing comedian, part clown and part tired man. The character has so many layers, that it often feels a little too much for the play to explore with enough conviction.
Although conceptually Jagasia’s play holds potential, unfortunately, the final product lacks enough substance. The shock twist in Act Two sadly feels almost too implausible for the audience to believe or run with, and it was too obviously set up in Act One that it didn’t create the desired impact. With the set up slightly dampening the revelation, the story took a few too many twists in an attempt to create the intended shock but just left me a little perplexed.
Unfortunately, the end result left me feeling a little lacklustre. When the stakes of the show are surrounding the potential downfall of Billy's career, it doesn't feel all too heightened when the characters are so disheartened from the start.
As to be expected with dark comedy, and as conceptually interesting as the plot was, I did find it a little too uncomfortable in certain scenes when the characters were insinuating that some jokes haven't aged well. It could be argued that there’s a fine line between alluding to a joke, and outright acting it out that perhaps is a little too far. But then again that is the show’s purpose, to challenge where is this line?
at Arcola Theatre until 22 February 2025
★ ★
