The Anniversary | Salvador Dinosaur
I’m not even going to mince words, The Anniversary is a physical comedy masterclass. The performances, direction, physical comedy, sets, props, puppetry – basically everything - combine to create a rollercoaster of a ride that had me crying with laughter throughout. If you are a fan of absurdist comedy, clown or dark humour, do not miss this one if it comes to a theatre near you.
I would highly recommend seeing The Anniversary completely cold to get the most out of all of the surprises along the way, but let me give you the basics.
Barb (Clare Bartholomew) and Jim (Daniel Tobias) have been married for 50 long years and the frays in their relationship are well and truly evident. Like many of our parents’ or grandparents’ generation, they have weathered every storm of their marriage and are just riding out their time together until one of them finally drops.
Barb is perfectionist who likes things her way and is constantly pained by her oblivious husband, Jim. She definitely loves her animals more than him too. Jim is completely absent-minded and has probably been carried through life by his ever-suffering Barb. Both are stubborn to a tee and will do the opposite of what is asked by their partner at any opportunity.
Image: Embellysh
We meet the duo frantically putting together the final preparations for their 50th wedding anniversary party before the guests arrive. Despite their best efforts, their preparations start to go array and 50 years of tensions start to bubble to the surface. And all the while, the world outside their home seems to be falling apart.
To say much more would spoil the many surprises, but let’s just say things quickly escalates in the most expected and unexpected ways and get beautifully, absurdly dark.
The Anniversary is the creation of Bartholomew and Tobias and director Peter Haughton. The team created the show in 2019 off the back of the duo’s multi-award winning run as ‘Otto & Astrid – Die Roten Punkte’. The show builds on the physical comedy and character work that made Otto and Astrid such a hit and ratches it up to 11.
The Anniversary is performed with almost no dialogue except for the names of various characters. Houghton’s direction and the expressive and absolutely committed performances of the leads made me completely forget they duo were performing mostly through mime and gibberish throughout. Bartholomew particularly showcases why she is such a legend of the industry, with every move on stage perfectly choreography for maximum laughs and silliness.
Throughout The Anniversary, the tension and chaos are expertly escalated from one scene to the next. At times we knew what was coming, but the audience was still in stitches as every set-up was mined to it’s fullest. And the unexpected surprises? I don’t think there was a dry eye in the house.
Props also need to be given to the gorgeously kitsch and surprisingly functional set design and the lighting design by Bronwyn Pringle, and the sound design & composition by Steph O’Hara. The props and staging particularly would have made Chekov proud. They all complement the performances perfectly and further aid to immerse us into the wonderfully absurd world of Jim and Bard.
The Anniversary is must-see theatre, filled with impressive physical comedy, sight gags and clowning at a level I haven’t seen in some time. The absolutely committed performances and beautifully dark and twisted escalation into absurdity left me and the audience howling with laughter. If you miss this run at CIRCFest, make sure to snap up tickets the next time it comes to town, because you won’t be disappointed. Highly recommended.
