Self proclaimed “Fringe God” TJ Dawe had his hands in both One Man Dark Knight: A Batman Parody by Charles Ross; and in One Woman Sex and The City: A Parody of Love, Friendship and Shoes by TJ Dawe and Kerry Ipema.
He must have directed One Man Dark Knight: A Batman Parody on a Sunday, the day of rest, because although both plays follow the same format One Woman Sex and The City is a markedly superior endeavour.
Clearly part of the difference is in the writing as Charles Ross has gone at it alone having previously written One Man Star Wars and One Man Lord of the Rings with Dawe.
One Woman Sex and The City has been crafted by both Kerry Ipema and Dawe and is a funny, pun-tastic affair that is a tight and fitting homage to it’s source material.
Dawe sought to shoehorn Ross’ play into a similar tight format but with Ross’ staccato pace creates a frenetic delivery that leaves the viewer befuddled. To be sure, Ipema’s audience benefits from a smaller more intimate venue allowing her facial expressions to be more easily interpreted.
She also wisely has chosen to sparingly use pre-recorded sound effects, which enhanced the overall enjoyment of her piece. Ross would have benefited from using less explosion and gun noises as they along with his lighting paced delivery makes the play comprehensible only to the most diehard Batman circa Christopher Nolan fans.
If you’ve previously enjoyed Ross and Dawe’s fare you will probably appreciate One Man Dark Knight: A Batman Parody.
If you like funny, well conceived, and character driven theatre and prefer sex to violence One Woman Sex and The City: A Parody of Love, Friendship and Shoes is for you.
