CHEAP LAUGH: An Absurd Piece of Pessimism

CHEAP LAUGH: BATTEN HOUSE DRAMA by Alex Moore 

The Ayckbourn Theatre, Haileybury & Imperial College. October 17th 2009

Of course death is German! An Absurd Piece of Pessimism.

Absurdism is no stranger to the wry-smiling Alexander Moore. In his self-penned performance written on a 1949 Olivetti Lettera 22 typewriter, his sense of humour is at its strongest and most funny. With the unique blend of ‘extreme vulgarity mixed with extreme geniality’ that the Times describes as perfectly Pinteresque, Moore’s ‘Cheap Laugh’ is a delightfully devilish drama.

Opening with a parody of a member of the House of Lords delivering an uncomfortable speech on racism that evolved into a reflection on the nature of dramatic performance, Moore’s performance was enigmatic and bizarre. After revealing that his character is not, in fact, a Peer but an actor acting as a Peer, the audience was perplexed even before the disillusioned ‘director’ (Tom Hicks) entered stage-right. With an appropriate nod to Alan Ayckbourn’s ‘A Chorus of Disapproval’, the conceit of the play stunned then engrossed the audience, evoking laughter from them in a way that none of the other House pieces succeeded at. The most favoured line had to be the bewildered ‘I improvised a fish?’ from Moore before precocious, loud-mouth Ross Bains, drew said fish from his coat pocket.

Moore has to be congratulated for his outstanding writing and skilful direction and a word to the reader: keep an eye out for this one – no doubt he’ll be at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival soon enough.


Je serai poète et toi poésie, 
SCRIBBLER