The Doppel Gang, a new comedy by Dominic Hedges, explores the wild wit of iconic comedy giants The Marx Brothers. Presented by Just Some Theatre Company, The Doppel Gang has generous helpings of British humour and humility.
As the Blitz ravages London, a hopeless theatre manager persuades a desperate double act and a not-so-convincing male impersonator to join him in an audacious stunt – impersonating The Marx Brothers. With one last roll of the dice, this group of entertainers battle to save the theatre from closure. The curtain is about to rise but so are the stakes as an unprecedented series of revelations leads to an exhilarating chain of events. Will anyone believe they are the real Marx Brothers?
The Doppel Gang fuses classic British comedy with the endless energy of the Marx Brothers, who at the time the play is set were dominating the comedy scene in the US. With its precision timing and authentic 40s soundtrack, the audience are transported to wartime London and the antics used to boost morale.
Playwright Dominic Hedges comments, There are so many similarities between our comedy and that of our American cousins. We both think we’re hilarious and we both think we’re smarter than one another. Groucho Marx’s lightning wit versus Eric Morecambe’s wry asides for instance. I guess I’ve tried to pit us up against them, all the while hiding ourselves from the horrible reality of our Second World War surroundings. It’s as though the faster we talk, the less real life is.
Photos are courtesy of Peter Stone.
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