28 September 2005
The Friends of Jack Kairo

Directed by Nicole Rourke. Written by and featuring Simon Toal. Focus Theatre as part of the Fringe Festival until 01 Oct.

Taking its tone and form from 1940s Film Noir, Simon Toal's one-man show weaves pastiche with astute political satire to deliver an energetic, often surreal showcase for his talents.

Hard-drinking, low-living and little working PI Jack Kairo is called into action when former flame and femme fatale, the ever dancing Elizabeth Rumsfeld, asks him to solve the murder of her uncle General Rumsfeld and recover an all-powerful cold-fusion device.

The set-up and often bizarre story allow Toal to deploy a stock of characters and caricatures from his prop box and parade them before the audience with energy and humour. In solving the murder, Kairo goes on a comic journey with a cast of characters that sees Dick Cheney as the Devil, Donald Rumsfeld as Dr Evil and Hans Blix as a power hungry psychopath.

The play is written with a unique and often surprising turn of phrase that surpasses the pastiche to become a clever political satire with many surreal moments. The representation of the interrogation and confession of Freddy the Flea, a real flea in a bourbon glass, is a weird but somehow wonderful comic set-piece.

A few bum notes are hit when the momentum is lost in exposition. However, where Toal fares best is tackling multiple personalities on stage before turning on the audience and terrorising them with relish.

Elizabeth O'Neill