Hamish and Lynette Parkinson ME 'N' MA
BATS Theatre, The Heyday Dome, 1 Kent Tce, Wellington
21/05/2019 - 25/05/2019
NZ International Comedy Festival 2019
Production Details
Not to be confused with the country formally known as Burma, this is in fact a show with a comedian and his mum.
“It’s safe to say you probably won’t see anything like it during this year’s comedy festival, so it’s well worth the risk” – TheatreScenes
Comedian Hamish Parkinson (Beerbot 5000 in Thor: Ragnarok) would like to introduce you to his mother Lynette Parkinson (not yet part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe).
For one hour, with the help of a few drinks, they’ll celebrate their mother/son relationship and Hamish will try to make her stage debut as smooth and memorable as possible (she doesn’t want to rehearse).
Please come, she’s very excited and Hamish wants her to think he’s more successful than he is.
Hamish & Lynette are son and mother respectively. See if you can guess which is which!
BATS Theatre The Heyday Dome
21 – 25 May 2019
8:30pm
Full Price $20
Cheap Wednesday $16
Concession Price $15
Group 6+ $15
BOOK TICKETS
Accessibility
*Access to The Heyday Dome is via stairs, so please contact the BATS Box Office at least 24 hours in advance if you have accessibility requirements so that appropriate arrangements can be made. Read more about accessibility at BATS.
Theatre , Comedy ,
55 mins
Largely entertaining
Review by Margaret Austin 22nd May 2019
“It’s my real Mum,” insists Hamish Parkinson of the title, busying himself alone onstage at BATS Heyday Dome with offerings to his audience of water and popcorn. Are these nibbles in any way representative of what we are going to see?
Well, the popcorn may be, but the water certainly isn’t. Ma’s entrance eventually occurs, and it’s clear who’s really in charge in this relationship. Lynette takes up a power position on the centrally placed velvet covered settee and demands wine – in copious amounts – to encourage the kind of performance that’s been heralded by her hapless son.
What we get is family history, elicited with some no- holds-barred questions from son, and even fewer-holds-barred recollections from Ma. We learn of how Ma and Hamish’s Pa met, what marital bliss albeit in Westport consisted of, and what ensued.
At this point, the show takes a dive into some low digs at the men in Lynette’s life. I don’t appreciate public putdowns of those who are not present to defend themselves. Of course, the men may have been fictitious characters. Never let facts stand in the way of a good story.
Predictably perhaps, Ma, gets herself on Tinder. She has some Tinder tips for both men and women. I’m sure they’re worth taking notice of.
Does this show have a message? It doesn’t really need one, but I guess it could be observed that alcohol-induced memories make for a largely entertaining theatrical experience.
Copyright © in the review belongs to the reviewer
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