Lasers, explosions, smoke and set piece scenes of chaos are what we have come to expect from Mr Hillary’s theatrical extravaganzas, and this year “Parrot Sketch Not Included,” a culmination of Monty Python’s best sketches, did not disappoint. Being a series of sketches you would think it near impossible to include the trademark explosions which have swayed countless closet pyromaniacs to come and watch Middle School productions over the years.
However, Mr Hillary, in order to satisfy his needs as much as anyone else, included a sketch solely to blow up a TV. Furthermore, to ensure that the entire audience and cast went home deaf, he had three guns, firing four times each, in the space of twenty seconds to conclude the evening. As the cast and stage crew were used to working on a play, the sketch format of this production proved to be quite challenging.
For the fifty strong cast who were in numerous sketches the main problem was to convincingly act out their different roles. In one sketch you could be a gay hairdresser wearing a sequined top and in another you could be a cantankerous old so and so donning a smoker’s jacket. Furthermore, the stage crew, headed by Fleur Mason and Hamish Greer, had to work twice as hard as they had done on any other production as each sketch required a change in props and lighting etc., but somehow they pulled off this Herculean task for the three nights. “Parrot Sketch Not Included” was a highly enjoyable and unforgettable experience for all the cast and crew, amusing packed houses for all three performances.
