Babble Productions’ new play for the Melbourne Fringe Festival, Classifried! The MKUltra Sitcom, takes the form of a sitcom filmed before a live studio audience. In a secret location, a team of CIA agents are experimenting on random individuals to see if giving them LSD (a potent psychedelic drug) will make them ‘less communist’. On the day that their boss General Maddox (Stuart Daddo-Langlois) is due to give them an inspection, Agent Kevin (Clive Gobel) accidentally ingests a dose of LSD at the worst possible time.
The sitcom staging allows for the use of many of the tropes associated with the genre, with its usual mix of physical comedy, jokes and cringeworthy interactions. While it can be a bit hit and miss at times, there are plenty of laughs along the way. The show does a fun job with the pairing of characters – the LSD-affected Kevin plays off well with Suzie (Lucy Paterson), the secretarial character who has a strong Russian accent.
Kevin is the most anti-communist character, but finds himself bonding with his ‘Russian’ colleague. Meanwhile, Peggy (Ruth Gilmour), who runs a brothel espionage outfit, is the unrequited love interest of Agent Ray (Thilan Ahangama), who has an ambitious plan to turn around the fortunes of the operation. General Maddox’s arrival as the classic incompetent boss character drives the action forward. A theme song by Connor McRae and the staging itself helps with maintaining the illusion of a studio set-up.
The idea of a sitcom filmed before the audience is a clever one, but it is not utilised to its full potential. Greater involvement of the ‘studio audience’ would also have added another dimension to the show. The cast do a good job of embodying their sitcom archetypes, but it would’ve been better had they had more opportunity to explore the ‘actor’ side of their characters as well.
The MKUltra concept provides an opportunity for some comedic insight into the Cold War; however, the format does limit the ability to make this more than a surface look at some of the ideas.
Read: Theatre review: BAD BOY, fortyfivedownstairs
On the whole, Classifried! The MKUltra Sitcom is a fun show with entertaining performances. It’s not without its flaws, but for those who like classic sitcom shenanigans and have an interest in the Cold War, this is an enjoyable night out.
Classifried! The MKUltra Sitcom
The Butterfly Club
Writer/Director: Tim Gilmour
Producer: Ruth Gilmour
Stage Manager: Jess Penrose-Coward
Theme Song Composer/Performer: Connor McRae
Graphic Design: Alex Nutman
Rehearsal Photographer: Connor McRae
Additional Photographer: Jess Penrose-Coward
Voiceovers: Zac Rose, Noah Smith, Chloe Towan and Tim Gilmour
Cast: Thilan Ahangama, Ruth Gilmour, Clive Gobel, Lucy Paterson, Stuart Daddo-Langlois
Tickets: $15-$39
Classifried! The MKUltra Sitcom will be performed until 5 October 2024
