PRESS RELEASES

Download the Gladiatrix Press Release as a Microsoft Word document.

 

REVIEWS

The Scotsman, August 2002 ****

"The charming and egregiously leggy Lucy Montgomery introduces us to her little entertainment which has, hitherto, only been enjoyed by 'mummy, daddy and the staff at home', she says. I'm so glad she has decided to widen her audience. This is a funny, cleverly written, brilliantly performed and tightly directed spoof. It tells the story of Vulva, daughter of the emperor, forced by tragi-comic circumstance to fight as a gladiator. And to do it rather well -- if the early slo-mo girl fight between Vulva and a feisty blonde if anything to go by. I have never actually seen anyone's pubic hair torn out by the roots before. Vulva has been brought up 'the Roman way' (heavy on incest and homosexuality) and is taken aback (no, not another Roman idiosyncracy) when she meets Slaveman. He is 'gentle' (something to do with being Belgian), smiles a lot and plays acoustic guitar. He is a wonderful comic creation from James Bachman, reminiscent of a young, chubby, sweet Alan Davies. I had forgotten quite how funny a performer Bachman was. The toga helps, of course. The show has just about everything -- drama, violence, sex, death and Barry Manilow. There is even a scary lion, made ferocious by being fed, we are told, on 'a diet of large black men'. OK, it's not a real lion. But there is such a thing as willing suspension of disbelief, and this show is so much fun you would willing suspend just about anything for it. The deft hand of Cal McCrystal is evident in the direction and there are lovely touches like the use of the love theme from Spartacus and the three performances (the third featuring Barunka O'Shaughnessy whose talents include an impressive grasp of Mandarin) are comedy bliss. Thumps up!" (Kate Copstick)

Metro, August 2002 ****

"One of the on-going truisms of the Edinburgh Fringe is that a funny show is likely to be a hit, but a funny show with scantily clad women on the poster just can't miss. Add a copyright-free movie tie in (Ridley Scott's unlikely to be seeking out the rights) to engage the widest possible audience, and you have a very cannily thought out concept to take to the fringe, directed by Perrier winner Cal McCrystal. So does Gladiatrix: She Wolf of Rome deliver? Unexpectedly enough, given it's obvious cheapness, it does. It begins with an extensive girl-on girl slow motion wrestling match between Lucy Montgomery and Barunka O'Shaughnessy that's as revealing (and possibly longer than) a toga party. Any amateur voyeurs on the audience (and who else would go and see a show with a title like this?) can breathe a sigh of relief at this point, but beyond this, the good news is that the jokes do keep coming. While this production from Your Face Here is very Naked Gun/Airplane-style in its attempt to take pot-shots at Hollywood sword and sorcery buffoonery, this playful willingness to parody is to be commended. The performances are delivered with relish, particularly by James Bachman, rolling his eyes brilliantly like Charles Laughton in Spartacus, which also supplies the sum of the dialogue for the snails and oysters scene. Surprisingly, given the ramshackle nature of most fringe shows, the play is carefully plotted in a similarly elaborate way to Gladiator, working through the cliches rigorously, and with a sly sense of the ridiculousness of attempting to play out such an epic tale in a tiny venue. Whether it's the winged messenger delivering debt consolidation messages, a mauling from a puppet lion that makes Bagpuss look a sabre-toothed tiger, or just the constant stream of filthy innuendoes and out-right, shameless cheek, this is a show that three genuine comic heroes and heroines will rise out of. Two thumbs up." (Eddie Harrison)

 

PHOTOS

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