Before the absurdist humour of Monty Python and The Goons there was that of Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874 – 1936), not that that such humour was all he generated. Best known for the Father Brown mysteries, he was a novelist, short story writer, essayist, poet, playwright, literary and social critic, historian, theologian, debater and (according to Wiki) an apologist.

He referred to George Bernard Shaw as his “friendly enemy” and once remarked to him, “To look at you, anyone would think a famine had struck England.” Shaw retorted, “To look at you, anyone would think you have caused it.” Chesterton’s physically generous proportions are relevant to the work we are here to discuss.

The length of the novel, The Man Who Was Thursday (1908), is indicated by the fact that (nearly a century later) English actor Geoffrey Palmer recorded it in 13 half-hour episodes for BBC Radio. Yet here, at BATS Random, thanks to the judicious editing of one Rob Suteling, it plays out in 50 riveting minutes, directed by Giles Burton with a named cast of 12 playing 20 characters including an elephant.  

That only one actor – the inestimable Peter Coates – appears on stage to manifest all 20 may surprise those who have studied the programme beforehand, until they revisit it and decode the cast list. Similarly the credits naming Gilber Sount for sound design and Brite Nigols for lighting require further consideration. As in the play itself, no-one involved in this production is quite who they seem to be.  

I call The Man Who Was Thursday absurdist because it takes a logical premise to an absurd conclusion – or do I mean an absurd premise to a logical conclusion? It does seem logical that a special police force should be formed to monitor the activities of a clandestine anarchist cell, in this case The Council of Days, and that infiltration should occur incognito. Is it also reasonable that poets and philosophers are considered ideal candidates for recruitment to such a police force?

Of course it is oxymoronic that the anarchists should be organised in a series of cells throughout Europe but that is also realistic – as is the proposition that the seven mostly doddery old councillors are able to hide in plain sight by loudly expounding their dastardly plans in public, because no-one believes them. In short, the extraordinary tale is riddled with paradox.  

On stage a chair is the only furnishing, an epee the only prop. Young, lithe, slender and bearded, Peter Coates exemplifies the heroic Edwardian storyteller impeccably and transforms into the myriad characters – all men (except for the elephant) – with élan. No action is without purpose and his stillness is as eloquent as his leaps and turns.

Also kept to a minimum, and therefore very effective, are the sound and lighting effects. (Anyone who thinks they need to keep pacing the stage to hold an audience’s interest will find the opposite proven here.)

For Chesterton’s fans at the time, and for today’s audience members who know a bit about him, the mysterious man who is Sunday in the story can only be read as self-referential. Such is slender Coates’ skill as Thursday, I could swear I saw Sunday in gargantuan person – not to mention the elephant.

All-in-all the creative organisation of the source material into this presentation is an inspired rebuttal of anarchism that also satirises law an order. I guess that means an absurd premise is taken to a logical conclusion. 

Copyright © in the review belongs to the reviewer

This compelling piece of theatre is adapted from the novel of the same name, by GK Chesterton. It tells the story of a young poet, Gabriel Syme, whose chaotic family drives him to normality and leads to him to the decision to join the police force. From here his life is anything but normal. He is inducted into a special branch of the police and becomes an undercover police officer whose job it is to fight anarchy.  He then uses his wiles to infiltrate a secret organisation of anarchists dedicated to overthrowing the western world.

Peter Coates takes on the daunting role of playing all 20 characters, including an elephant, in this fast paced, gripping, humorous show. His transition from one character to the other in quick succession is close to flawless; each character has its own accent, traits and personalities, all of which shine through his remarkable ability to make each character distinct.

Performing with only a chair, a sword and a sword stand, Coates transports the audience through a multitude of settings from a train station to a park, a pub, an underground hideout, a hotel, copious street scenes and a darkened room. Well-timed sound and lighting effects are integral to the need to sell these settings to the audience and the technicians are spot on with their cues.

This is definitely a play where losing concentration would play havoc with your understanding of the plot.  The pace of the dialogue and the speed with which characters come and go leaves no opportunity for drifting off, especially given that, at times, Coates is playing a character who is also impersonating another character.

The next stop for this play is at BATS Theatre from 17-20 March, for the New Zealand Fringe Festival. It is well worth seeing but you will have to hurry as the tickets are selling out fast.

Copyright © in the review belongs to the reviewer