(Editor’s note: Readers should be aware that the Graters are part of the same society as The Cheese Grater.)
★★★★☆
The first Graters show in the Bloomsbury Studio, artsUCL finally gave the Cheese Grater’s Sketch team the opportunity for an in-house performance on a professional stage.
The Sketch team must have felt the weight of expectation and pressure to make their journalistic counterparts proud.
And that, they certainly did!
Co-writers Seth Woolwich and Sketch Director Carla Rodrigues were the comedic geniuses behind the slapstick, fever dream of a one-hour play.
As the cheesy title would suggest, the play was a comedic ode to undercover cop, mob films. A genre of cinema associated with legends of the screen like Pacino, Brando, De Niro and iconic films such as ‘Scarface’ and ‘Goodfellas’.
Co-writer Woolwich was grate as the pathetically tragic, albeit smooth talking lead Inspector O’Toole.
Our lead’s monologues encompassed everything from the longing of unrequited love to “ball-crushing Wednesdays”. Whilst the script was hectic at times, Woolwich’s frequent breaking of the fourth wall to contextualise the creative direction of the script enabled the audience to grasp the chaos that descended on stage.
James Woronieki provided an anchor as the overly comfortable chief of police who assigned O’Toole to go undercover and enter the corrupt and dysfunctional Provolone mafia family of Weehawken, New Jersey.
Gulnar Bharati was an authoritative presence, embodying the role of a Brando-esque Don, whilst also providing comedic relief by twisting famous ‘Godfather’ quotes. Meanwhile, Rodrigues wholeheartedly took on the role of a bright red-lipstick-wearing, leopard print fur coat donning, nasal mob wife.
Tiago Prudencio dressed in a 1950s polka dot dress and an almost radioactive yellow wig to play the Don’s bratty daughter Evangeline. Yet, Evangeline also posed as an unexpected seductress, creating some romantic jeopardy for the undercover O’Toole. Additionally, Luke Breaban-Cook and Jeremy Williams were brilliant in their roles as the sleazy yet endearingly brainless employees of the Provolones.
And a special mention must go out to Samee Furreed, who put his body on the line in a skimpy pair of speedos and Y2K sunnies, all in the name of creative expression.
For the sake of fairness and balance, I do have some critiques. The on-stage props were modest. With the play being set in such a random part of America, I did not really feel like I was immersed into life in Weehawken. And at times, the attempted New Jersey accents were difficult to comprehend.
Nevertheless, the on-stage spectacle had an abundance of originality.
After all, not many plays can claim to have a Mormon sermon, gay strip club scene, and cross-dressing lesbians in a one-hour play. Yet, the diversity of social groups represented in the play did not feel rushed or excessive.
To be frank, I was concerned whether the direction of the play would be a bit too rogue for me. Like playing a Boxing Day test match at the MCG, or a World Cup Final at Wembley, the pressure of performing in a high-profile setting can make people act out of sorts.
However, I was pleasantly surprised. It was rather a joy to watch.
Never would I have thought I would have heard Joseph Smith and Tyler the Creator uttered in the same sentence, but ‘Goudafellas’ proved me wrong.
Take notes Tarantino, it doesn't always need to be about feet!
Certainly not for the faint of heart, some of the jokes would not have looked out of place in a now-cancelled 2000s BBC TV show.
Yet the laughter from the crowd, and the infectious likability of the actors giving it their all on-stage, made this a worthwhile hour spent in the Bloomsbury Studio. It did really feel like a labour of love for a team of students who love sketch comedy.