Notes on a Scandal: Folie A Deux Review

A magnificent feat of athleticism and psycho lesbianism.

One thing to expect if you ever find yourself face to face with Emma Kew and Andrew Fraser performing their not to be missed (if it ever plays again (fingers crossed)) Notes on A Scandal: Folie a Deux is some jaw dropping, heart stopping, ass popping moments. Be warned this performance will induce laughter and a slight cathartic bitterness towards the acting industry, if you're in it. 

Parodies can often fall into the reputation of lazy, done before theatre, because well, it’s been done before. However Notes on a Scandal: Folie a Deux feels nothing short of a rebirth. This fresh piece feels absolutely alive, a living breathing beast that’s here to educate us on how to make a damn good parody. Although some elements we’ve definitely seen before, think cameras on stage (now thought of as Kip Williams signature move (p.s. he didn’t do it first)), it feels necessary and warranted to emulate this movie turned play. 

Not to mention the filmography and choreography was superb, a masterclass on how to use film in theatre. Every shot was not only beautiful but pushed the story to exactly where it needed to be in terms of humour or suspense. Underneath the tight filmography the play pulses with underhand comments, whispers and line slips that were all performed with intention and nuance. Folie a Deux most definitely comes from 2 minds that know how to craft smart theatre. Everything felt intentional and not a single beat or opportunity was missed. 

Now let's talk about the elephant in the room, 4th wall breaks and meta theatre, do we hate it or do we love it? In this instance we love it. Although at first it felt like a shock to the system, from such heightened performances to being broken by ‘reality’ and the lack of all music, gradually it became more tolerable, to then being enjoyable to then being the whole point. So in the end they definitely turned me round.

The last thing I’ll mention before chewing your ear off about how you should watch this play for a righteous good time (and if you don’t enjoy yourself you're probably the reincarnation Scrooge) is that these actors were A tier. Both delivered a superb performance of absolute camp glory. Emma Kew was perfection in every way you can be when embodying Judy Dench as an obsessed lesbian, and let's just say I think Andrew Fraser could get past Cate Blanchett’s Face ID with his performance. Their meta acting was a delight, which is a sentence I don’t say lightly having seen some horrible performances of people playing themselves. Let’s just say these 2 are powerhouses that need to create more work and be seen on every comedy stage.

So if you’ve ever been in indie theatre with a cast mate repped by Shannahans, have had fanny flutters looking at a perfectly spherical soccer ball or just want a good night out, petition this play to be programmed as a long season! 

5 Stars!