Geraldine
(Nicole
Underhay)
is excited at the possibility of working with a well respected
Psychiatrist
and
though everything starts out innocently enough, it all goes
completely awry after she is asked to get undressed. Under the guise
that he wants to ensure she is fit to work for him, Dr.
Prentice’s (Blair
Williams)
ill fated seduction is quickly interrupted by his society hungry, sex
starved Wife
(Brenda
Robins)
and his peer Dr.
Rance (Graham
Harley).
It
all goes downhill for the naive, young women from that point on. All
the while Geraldine
tries to keep her wits about her, especially after being committed.
In
the delicious flavour of crazy British comedies, such as Faulty
Towers
or the Carry
On
movies, What
the Butler Saw
is the perfect mixology for a lunatic Martini straight up. Combining
innocent, unsuspecting characters with borderline nut cases, creates
the perfect conditions for a chaotic free-for-all. However, hidden
beneath this raunchy comedy are some serious societal issues such as
incest, nymphomania and adultery, all cleverly peppered throughout
the snappy dialogue.
"Why
are there so many doors," the investigating Doctor
Rance
asks as he enters Doctor
Prentice's
office, "Was this house designed by a lunatic?"
The
house may not have been built by a lunatic, but it does leave us to
question who is truly sane. The tenants of the madhouse or the
keepers themselves?
What
the Butler Saw
is a romping, raunchy good time, but definitely not for the
theatrically weak at heart. This wild farce will have you laughing
from beginning to end and serves as a perfect night of theatre for
those who fancy storytelling mayhem.