Forced Entertainment is an award-winning company that has been thrilling, insulting, enlightening and confusing audiences for over thirty years. In that time the troupe has garnered an avid following, both in Britain and abroad.Others, however, find the uncertainty of what to expect and the kick that the company seems to get out of punishing their audiences too alien. They are undeniably the ‘Marmite’ of Britain’s theatrical scene: you either love their style or you hate it.
In Real Magic, three performers (Claire Marshall, Richard Lowdon and Jerry Killick) take to the stage to the sound of canned laughter - Richard in grey pants, top and socks; Jerry in a suit and long black wig, and Claire in a cheap chicken costume.
The set-up is a game show with a host, an assistant and a contestant. The host explains the rules: guess what word the assistant is thinking of (written on a card for the audience to see – either “Caravan”, “Algebra” or “Sausage”) and you win. You have three attempts. After guessing “electricity”, “hole” and “money” - always in that order – the contestant is declared out. So they swap roles and try again. And again. And again. For ninety minutes. Same words guessed, same words on the cards, same outcome. Oh but it’s okay because there are variations on a theme: they are sometimes optimistic, other times dejected; they swap costumes, they change the pace. Wasn’t it funny when Richard dry-humped the sign saying ‘SAUSAGE’? Sometimes the rules are explained, other times they confirm how the contestant is spelling ‘hole’... Sometimes the host wearily begs the contestant to think of something different. Sometimes the scenario is underscored with canned laughter, other times with discordant violin music. So. that makes it okay. That makes it ‘art’.
Have I missed something? I don’t really care if I have. Those who enjoy their work are viewed as confident and forward-thinking and those who don’t enjoy it appear to be looked down upon and sneered at for not accepting change. With performances selling out, why should they care? But I do detect a hint of ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’.
Performance art is great to study (and, being hosted by an art school, they are playing to their target audience), but I would not actively choose to experience their work ever again.
Yes, it pokes fun at society’s obsession with winning big for minimal effort; at our eternal optimism and unconscious habit of repeating the same thing over and over and expecting different results. It dissects our views of what defines theatre and veers away from convention. But here, slapstick and running/ crawling around the stage in an endless loop of swapping and ending up in your pants is neither ground-breaking nor amusing. The non-linear style is not new or cleverly used. The gags are cheap and dated. For the performers and the audience alike, this is nothing more than an endurance test.
Real Magic: you’ll either love it or you’ll hate it. Personally, I wouldn’t wish it on an enemy.
Phoenix Rising is a site specific piece first staged in 2013 - this 2017 version is in memory of an inspirational cast member who unfortunately passed away last year.