Written by Michael Duke from a story by Ian Cameron, ‘An Unexpected Hiccup’ is a comic, musical take on ‘stranded stranger arrives at sinister house’. Said stranger, Murdo, played by Plutôt La Vie’s Tim Licata, makes quite an entry thanks to a cleverly lit umbrella in the darkness of the Zoo Southside auditorium.
The sinister house, we discover, is inhabited by quite a family, plus their butler. They were expecting a lawyer, and at first, have no idea what to make of Murdo. Eschewing normal hospitality they opt for stripping him down forcibly and into dry clothes a touch too small for him.
It transpires the family were expecting a lawyer in light of their ailing father’s imminent demise. Each one is eccentric in their own way, the ever-memorable Emma McCaffrey’s Thelma is prone to provocative statements interspersed with moments of non-chalance; a shifty, wise-cracking Gavin Yule marks Kurt as a troublemaker, whilst Emma Clark plays the emotionally volatile Louisa, tormented by lost love, but with one eye on Murdo. Nicola Tuxworth’s Tess is a hands-off manipulator of the situation, whilst Keith Waton’s Colin, is a man waiting for his midnight showtime. Herding this bunch of cats is Ryan Duncan’s long-suffering, but caring butler.
“Great performances are summoned from the entire cast…”
With Murdo as a catalyst, this house eccentrics comes to life, just in time for bedtime. Expect things to go bump again and again.
The performances are strong thought-out, and McCaffrey is absolutely sensational when tasked with a haunting song of her love lost at sea. However the promise of sinister goings-on never really materialises, the action taking a shortcut from intimidating strangers to mostly likeable misfits.
To their credit, Co-Directors Maria Oller and Ian Cameron keep the pace up throughout. There’s a lot to pack into a night in this fun house, and they make it fly by without anything feeling rushed. Great performances are summoned from the entire cast, and the established company of Lung Ha have a warm, playful chemistry with Licata. Kudos are specially due to Licata for his warm, wide-eyed turn as the productions ‘straight man’.
Were there just a little more journey from stranger to (almost) friends the finale would strike an even more surprising and uplifting tone. However, there’s no questioning that the finale notes of ‘An Unexpected Hiccup’ will be on many lips for days after they leave the theatre.
Show Details
Venue: ZOO Southside – Main House
Dates: Aug 2-10
Showtimes: 16:30
Running Time: 1 hour
Age Recommendation: 8+
Price: From £5.5
Accessibility
The performance space, ‘Main House’, is wheelchair accessible.
The venue, ‘ZOO Southside’, has provided the following accessibility information: ‘A number of shows will be offering BSL interpreted, audio described and captioned shows. Please see http://www.zoofestival.co.uk for up to date listings of these. Full venue site is accessible, Wheelchair accessible toilet, No reserved accessible parking, Assistance dogs welcome in all areas. Level access is via the rear entrance either from Quarry Close or off Nicolson St. between the venue and Dominos. Access to the Main House is across the stage via a small lift (80cm wide, 100cm deep)’.
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