946: THE AMAZING STORY OF ADOLPHUS TIPS

I adore Brits! And judging by the long standing ovation on the opening night of 946: The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips at the Wallis in Beverly Hills, so did that audience. All the zaniness in this show reminded me a bit of good old Benny Hill’s television series, (without the “naughty” bits.)

946: The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips is quite the crazy melange; so much goes on in it that sometimes it was hard for me to keep up. It’s like five different shows in one; there’s the basic comedy, (around the difficult subject of war,) with plenty of romance, it’s also a musical (even though the company thinks it isn’t; but I don’t see how, since music runs throughout, including before the show even starts and during intermission, and there’s tons of singing and dancing!,) it’s a puppet show, (which is my favorite part,) and—the hallmark of British humor—a drag show, too! And it’s all done with heart. At intermission, my friend, Carolyn, turned to me, and said simply, “It’s charming.”

In all honesty, it is a bit too frenetic, (and, as Carolyn pointed-out, disjointed,) for my taste; my mind is scattered enough to begin with. But the opening night audience went nuts over it. And, even though I have a hard time with the subject of death, I did get choked-up by the end.

The second act is way better than the first, so, if like me, you’re a bit confused in the first half, (and the title does not help, at all!,) do not leave at intermission—Act II is so worth it! There are so many surprises.

I think that most of you know by now that I like to go into a show or movie with no pre-conceived notions, so, unless it’s something famous, that everyone knows already, (like The King and I,) I’m rarely aware of a plot going in. That usually works in my favor, but, in this case, I think it would have been an enormous help to have researched the story beforehand. I had no idea what was going on in the first act at all.

I also think it might have helped if the genders were played by the proper sexes. One of the male soldiers is played by a female, and I kept forgetting that she was supposed to be a guy, so that added to my confusion. And a duo of male actors play females. There are only a couple of instances in life where I enjoy seeing a woman being portrayed by a man. The first is Dame Edna. (But that gent is all woman to me! She’s my all-time favorite performer!!!) The other is in British pantos, which parts of this reminded me of. But I usually just find it confusing—I think every role in every show or movie (except for pantos, which I write about every Christmas,) should be portrayed by someone whose gender, race, age, whatever matches the character. But that could be just me. (Good thing I wasn’t around in Shakespearean days, right?)

The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips is actually a decade-old award-winning children’s book. I, a former elementary school teacher, still don’t see how a story based on a true, secret horror from World War II, (known as “Operation Tiger,”) is appropriate for kids, but oh well. (The “946” that this company added to the show title refers to the number of servicemen who were killed in that failed mission. I’m sorry, but I really don’t think that young children should be exposed to concepts like these. I’ve always been thankful that I missed Bambi when I was young! I can barely handle the mother’s death now!)

All that being said, this cast from Kneehigh, the British theatre company who bring us this show, is extremely talented. They all act, sing, dance, play instruments, and do puppets!!! OMG! Very impressive. Those people have a lot of energy. I was exhausted just watching them run around, climb ladders, ride bikes; you name it, they did it! My favorite was Craig Johnson, who portrays many characters (as they all do,) including one female. (Yes, I know. But he was so funny that I was compelled to give him a pass.) I felt myself perking-up whenever he showed-up onstage.

And I absolute adored Lez Brotherston’s colorful, creative, open set!  It made me think of nothing but sunshine on an otherwise rainy night in LA.

There’s an ever-present jazz band, fronted by Akpore Uzoh, (who later on becomes an important character in the show, so don’t just take his presence up there for granted,) on the top level of the stage. If the show had been just them playing for the two and a half hours, I would have been good with that. Even though the music has a familiar, comfortable feel to it, it’s all new, composed by Stu Barker.

A couple of days before the opening, the Wallis threw a little media luncheon to introduce us to the personnel from Kneehigh. What a lovely idea. The intimate group, which I appreciated being a part of, was treated to insights by the company’s Artistic Director, Mike Shepherd, (whose credits include a lot of charity work, so we know he’s kind as well as talented,) and Emma Rice, who directed this show, along with Paul Crewes, another Brit who is the former Executive Producer of the Kneehigh company, and is now the Artistic Director right here at the Wallis. They let us in on the way in which they put their shows together, and so much more. I wish every theatre in town did this! It was very insightful.

And speaking of this theatre, Carolyn, (the aforementioned pal who accompanied me,) who was a Wallis virgin at this show, could not get over the place. She deemed it “magnificent!” So, if you get the chance to see anything there, I suggest you take it. The sightlines are perfect! And the seats are comfortable. And all the times I’ve been there, I’ve felt like the stage is right in front of my eyes, rather than being a distant entity. I actually forgot to bring my binoculars that night, (which I use even from house seats at all other theatres,) and I realized afterwards that I never even needed them!

When it leaves here, 946: The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips is moving on to Brooklyn, my home town, so I’m jealous of them. But now that I know the story, which means I can just sit back and enjoy the performances, I just may join them there!

946: The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips running through March 5, 2017
Wallis Annenberg Theater For The Performing Arts
9390 N. Santa Monica Boulevard Beverly Hills
www.thewallis.org