Hold On To Your Butts, the incredibly successful brainchild of a group of New York based friends, came to life one drunk evening at the pub. Film nerds being film nerds, the group challenged themselves to see whether they could quote the entire feature length Jurassic Park film in a shot-for-shot rendition. The result was performed in a one-off comedy night ten years ago and has since skyrocketed at the Edinburgh Fringe festival, and has now made its way to Exeter.
If you’re a fan of dinosaurs, comedy or simple theatrical brilliance, this is your sign to catch Hold On To Your Butts when they come to the Northcott Theatre next week. I spoke to Charlie Ives, the talented Foley artist in the production, for a talk about the most original dinosaur parody of the past decade.
Charlie tells me that after a majorly successful run at the Edinburgh Fringe last summer, the show came to London with the original director. Here, new auditions were held for a UK tour. “It’s the original show,” she says, “but a fresh cast brings new energy, input and ownership to the material which makes it exciting.” Having kicked off their tour in Leicester in February, the show is travelling around the country until mid-April, including a much-anticipated stop in London’s West-End.
I was embarrassed to admit that I hadn’t watched Jurassic Park before, but Charlie reassured me. “Some people say they wish they had rewatched the film before coming to the theatre, as some of the parodies are quite niche, but it’s not necessary at all. It might even convince you to watch the film afterwards! The show is mainly physical comedy and really good character impressions, which anyone would enjoy,” Charlie says.
The show is mainly physical comedy and really good character impressions, which anyone would enjoy
Charlie Ives
The performance consists of two actors and Charlie herself, the Foley artist who adds real-time sound effects to the film reenactments — dinosaur roars, alarms, engines and helicopter sounds are all to be expected. “We interact as a three and really merge together, which is what makes the show unique and sets us apart from other parody shows,” says Charlie. She tells me to look out for the Jeff Goldblum impression, which is a favourite every time, and promises the ending is really funny, although she won’t tell me what that is. The show is produced by Recent Cutbacks, a company renowned for their inventive, nostalgic and comedic takes on classic films. Their mission is to “invite audiences to see the world with a newfound exuberance and remind us why we fell in love with movies, theatre, and storytelling in the first place.”
The show is for everyone. “It was created for adults originally, but children would enjoy this production too,” Charlie says. And for those under 26 years old, you can sign up for the Northcott’s U26 membership and snag discounted tickets to this must-see production and others.
With its perfect blend of nostalgia, humour, and theatrical innovation, Hold On To Your Butts is a performance that promises to entertain audiences of all ages — so don’t miss your chance to see it live!
