| 06 August 2011
I rather appropriately went to see Dr. Apple’s Last Lecture after a yoga session - it pays to be in a relaxed state of mind while watching this piece.
A university lecturer is in crisis. He feels threatened by the success of a colleague and his crush on his subordinate is alienating him from his wife. He finds his resolution in a hallucinogenic journey to zen, sobers up, conjures up the courage and gets the girl. All very predictable, and the clichés don’t stop there. Brought to the festival by Hole In The Sky Productions, Dr. Apple’s Last Lecture describes itself as a "physical comedy exploring consciousness and psychedelic history," surely a hackneyed premise. That’s where the problem starts.
It's difficult to gauge the play’s intended audience, perhaps because of the age-old difficulty of translating US to UK humour. The material felt contradictory, most of the time childish and safe and yet with continual references to academia and jokes academics could relate to. One example was a reference to the lengthy, complicated titles of academic papers, followed by the sound of a fart machine. I really wanted that to be ironic, but no one laughed.
Thankfully there are significant saving graces. The limited resources, in terms of cast, props, costumes and space are beautifully utilised – the surprise of the simple creativity is a refreshing distraction from the plodding plot. The script flowed very naturally, and the dances were all in sync.
No element was particularly startling, until the end, when I realized I’d completely missed the point. Dr. Apple finds his peace by realizing he doesn’t have to hide behind his papers and work, instead relaxing into the present moment and enjoying the experience of just being… I had spent the show making notes, distracting myself from the talent I may or may not have been missing.
Dr Apple’s Last Lecture, Gilded Balloon, 2.30pm
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