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The Pitch
Presented By: Frankston Arts Centre/Peter Houghton
Venue: Cube 37,
Returns to the Malthouse December 4-16
Reviewer: Sean Bryan
Date Reviewed:
13th October, 2007
It was a very busy night last night in the Frankston Arts centre
precinct. In the main theatre the French Revolution was occurring
while in the smaller Cube 37 I was about to brush shoulders with
some of the world’s biggest Hollywood stars as Peter Houghton took
to the stage in his solo show ‘The Pitch’. After a successful season
at the Malthouse earlier this year ‘The Pitch’ made it’s journey
down to Frankston for two performances and in the coming year will
play around 120 performances across Australia.
‘The Pitch’ focuses on hopeful film writer Walter Weinermann who
follows the guidance of a Hollywood great to create the perfect film
script, which he then has to pitch to an international film board.
For the majority of the play Houghton acts out his film bringing to
life the actors who will play his roles, including Clint Eastwood or
Russel Crowe as the male lead, Catherine Zeta Jones as the
mysterious love interest, a hilarious Chris Rock, Sean Connery,
Robert De Niro and many, many more. But ‘The Pitch’ is more than a
show about celebrity impersonations (although I think Houghton does
a better De Niro than De Niro himself.)
The murder mystery action film that Walter creates sees lead male
and hit man Clint Eastwood (or Russel Crowe) set out on a mission to
Hong Kong to kill a local identity (Michael Douglas). His only link
is a woman known as ‘Violetta’ (played by Catherine Zeta Jones).
Here he is joined by a foulmouthed rap artist (Chris Rock) and
together they all end up backstabbed and stuck in Afghanistan.
As if trying to create and pitch his film is not enough Walter’s
partner Catherine has just left him for another man, the once
alcoholic turned Jesus loving Clive. This sub plot adds further
meaning to why Walter needs to write the perfect script and get it
pitched, he wants to win her back, or (because she is also a writer)
at least win her approval. Through flashbacks throughout the play we
see the rise and fall of the relationship between Walter and
Catherine from the very shaky first meeting where Catherine wants
little to do with him to the break up where Clive is the one to
break the bad news, and refer Walter onto a good friend of his,
Jesus Christ. Ultimately though we find out that what truly matters
isn’t how good the script is, it’s all about how well you can pitch
it to the producers.
This play is absolutely hilarious, from the perfect actor
impersonations to the one-liners and the slapstick comedy there is
something for everyone who knows a little about the world of
Hollywood movies, and the more you know the more you’ll laugh.
The strong use of sound made by both live sound effects as well as a
soundtrack greatly adds to the comedic nature of the play with
familiar movie sounds, such as the 20th Century Fox
music, cleverly woven into the play. Houghton’s live sound effects
are possibly the greatest attribute to the show and a definite
highlight. The eerie sounds of Middle Eastern flavoured music, a
jazz band including drums, trumpet and singer, the Asian inspired
introduction to Hong Kong, and the caricatured Taliban members
throughout the play are just some of the many standout live sound
effects Houghton is able to create.
The success of the play also comes from its simplicity. The stage is
virtually empty with very little set or props, and there is only one
actor, but the multitudes of characters, worlds and items Houghton
is able to conjure from what is available to him is enough to make
every drama student about to do their final drama solo very jealous.
A Dictaphone easily becomes a mobile phone, a pistol and a
microphone. A cricket bat becomes a bass guitar, and the basic set
transforms from a writer’s messy home to the bustling world of Hong
Kong, or the quiet desert of Afghanistan in an instant.
Houghton has mastered the technique of solo writing and acting, and
the direction by his Wife Anne Browning ensures that focus is always
maintained no matter how chaotic the stage has become. This show and
it’s success are a tribute to Peter Houghton’s ability as a writer
and an actor, and it was definitely worth waiting until absolutely
everyone had left the foyer of the theatre for me to share my
congratulations with him.
‘The Pitch’ returns to The Malthouse and runs from December 4 to
December 16. For more details visit
www.malthousetheatre.com.au
Sean recently wrote and produced his own solo show ‘Boy Banned’
which premiered in July, becoming the second show he has written and
seen through to fruition. He worked as assistant director and
appeared as Ryan in the Flinders Christian Community College
production of ‘High School Musical’ and is currently working on a
series of short plays.
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