Slightly weary of what we were getting ourselves into, we made our way up to the Northcott theatre on Tuesday to watch a parody production of the cult classic Jurassic Park. A cult we were embarrassed to admit we hadn’t yet joined. Neither of us had seen the film before.
Despite our cinematic ignorance, however, we were blown away. The show, clocking in at just over an hour, was fast-paced, high-energy and hilarious. Tails between our legs, we watched the actual film immediately after coming home — for research purposes — and can confirm that Hold On To Your Butts was astonishingly accurate. A show not to miss for Jurassic Park fans and casual dinosaur enthusiasts alike.
We were blown away.
After a roaring success (see what we did there) at the Edinburgh Fringe last summer, Hold On To Your Butts came to London with a new cast. The production features just two actors, Charlie Richards and Jack Baldwin, alongside their live, on-stage foley artist Charlie Ives. Together, they produced exactly what it said on the tin: a shot-for-shot reenactment of the entire, feature length film Jurassic Park, sound effects included.
This immediately brings us to what we enjoyed most about the production: the mastermind that is Charlie Ives. Charlie added dinosaur roars, helicopter engines, impact tremors, drinking sounds — you name it, she created it. The brilliance of the show wasn’t simply in this concept but specifically in the humorous interplay between the three performers. Actors Charlie and Jack would smugly exaggerate, improvise or draw out certain scenes, leaving foley artist Charlie no choice but to go along with them and provide accurate audio effects.
The second aspect that blew our minds was the boundless creativity of the props on stage. A simple shirt swap would signify a different character, a pair of sunglasses transformed the actor into Alan Grant, a bare chest portrayed Jeff Goldblum (obviously). A cap and a rucksack made the kids instantly recognisable whilst little mannerisms were blown up to ridiculous yet recognisable proportions. A tie around a wrist represented the lawyer, a sock stood in for a dead goat and the actors wearing helmets, swimming goggles and cones on their behinds made for weirdly accurate dinosaur impressions.
The show is unlike anything you will have ever seen before.
The performance, despite tackling an entire film plot, never dragged on or lost its energy. The physical comedy, which was honed to perfection, carried the production and had the audience in tears. At one point in the performance, when you’ve found yourself in what can only be described as a GCSE drama fever dream — as grown men dressed as dinosaurs wearing goggles are climbing up through the audience — one of the actors calls out that this might just be “Exeter’s greatest immersive experience!” And we’re going to have to agree with him there.
The show is unlike anything you will have ever seen before. It is a testament to the boundless creativity of its makers and the endless possibilities in low-budget theatre. And having now established that we’re Jurassic Park fans ourselves, we can proudly say that Hold On To Your Butts is an absolute must watch.
