I (honestly) Love You

‘I (honestly) love you’ was written by WA’s highly talented, Murdoch University theatre and drama graduate, comedian Damon Lockwood. His many awards include winner of a ‘National Write Now!’ competition for Best Script, an Australian Script Centre ‘Play of the Month, an Equity Guild Award for ‘Best New Play’, along with nominations for the ‘Blue Room Theatre award for Best Production’, Equity Guild Awards ‘Best Actor’ and finally ‘Best Actor’ at the WA Screen Awards. Talented swine.

Damon currently holds the position of Artistic Associate with the Black Swan State Theatre Company, and he will be their Assistant Director on the next Tim Winton play.

This joint production by the Blue Room Theatre and Damon Lockwood is being performed at the Blue Room Theatre, 53 James Street in Northbridge. The one-hour performances are until 2^nd June, with all shows at 8.30 pm.

      Lloyd (Jimmy James Eaton) was waiting at a coffee stand for his special coffee, when the girl in front, Belle (George Gaylor) stepped up and claimed it as hers. She explains that it is definitely hers, and no, she is not lying as she has this condition, Video Sitas Veritas, which does not allow her to tell a lie. When she discovers that Lloyd has the same condition, a strong loving bond is immediately formed.

      All is going well until Lloyd has to meet the parents. Belle’s mother (Talei Howell-Price) is easy going, but the over-protective father (Damon Lockwood) is a major problem.

     Can their love continue under such stressful conditions?

The set (Cherie Hewson) consists of three golden flats, with the month of May laid out like a calendar on them. Important events are marked. The flats are made of muslin allowing several fun (and daring) events to be carried out with a backlight. Cherie also carried this fun theme of dates onto her wacky costumes such as evening dresses and even a bishop’s mitre. The lighting design (Mike Nanning) was well thought out and smoothly operated by stage manager Louise Wardle.

It is now five years – yes five years! – since the halcyon days of such wild, madcap comedies as ‘Reprehensible’. Times when comedy ruled, people enjoyed laughing and we went out in the evening to be uplifted. Well, at long last they have returned. This team of professional stand-up or ‘improv’ comedians are delivering what we have waited so long for, a bloody good laugh. The humour is fast paced, zany and definitely adult, but it was so good to hear an audience laugh practically non-stop for an hour.

The characters had to deliver the odd deliberate corny line, there was a little bit of pantomime, an intentional shambles as the four first rate comedians tried to play eight very different characters at the same time. George and Jimmy’s teamwork was superb, with magnificent delivery.

Comedy at its very best. Take your incontinence pads.