Watching The Vegemite Tales is like being part of a live audience for a bad TV sitcom: the cast features ex-Neighbours actors; the set is full of self-conscious, real-life detail; and the story, well, the story is spread as thin as Vegemite.
This basic set-up serves a purpose, however, aiding the attempts of young, Australian playwright Melanie Tait to recreate the daily lives of ex-pat Aussies sharing a flat in London.
The seven characters cover a range of typecasts, from snooty Melbourne clean-freak to sensitive, father-figure professional. Tait particularly enjoys caricaturing the stereotypical loud-mouthed, fun-loving Aussie male - drinking beer and endlessly after a good 'root'. Blair McDonough as Dan embodies one such character, battering the audience with bawdy humour and high-energy antics so over the top you occasionally worry he suffers from ADHD.
This self-aware send-up can be tiresome but there are moments to enjoy. A superb physical comedy scene sees the luckless Eddie (played by Jonathon Dutton) stripped to his Y-fronts, partaking in a pre-date psych-up with socks down his pants. Meanwhile, a moving performance from Jessica Gerger as Gemma, reveals how painful it can be living away from home.
Solid direction by Bill Buckhurst adds further depth to the proceedings; although this play is never going to be theatre's finest offering, it's happy in its role as a playful comedy show.
The Vegemite Tales
The Venue
Leicester Place, WC2H 7BY
