Tommy is on the top of the world. He’s just been nominated for an Oscar (alongside Ben Affleck), he’s goodlooking as hell, but he’s harbouring a secret that might destroy his chances of winning the golden statuette, and it might just destroy his career as well.
At Above the Stag theatre, ‘Tommy on Top’ is a delicious and way over the top comedy. Tommy (played to dry perfection by Alex Hulme), alongside his secret – boyfriend George (the always very good and Above the Stag regular Lucas Livesey), with his sister Molly (the very versatile Megan Armstrong) and Tommy’s too campy agent Eddie (Chris Lane), are all holed up in a posh Hollywood hotel room (with a view of the Hollywood sign) in the run up to the Academy Awards, and while Tommy and George have been together for a very long time, Tommy and his agent have been able to keep his homosexuality a secret from the press. However, photos of Tommy and George have surfaced of them having a romp in a hotel room, and gossip queen Kiki (Becky Sanneh) is threatening to expose him. Meanwhile, super agent Judy (Bridgette Amofah – who chews up her scenes with such aplomb) wants to represent Tommy, much to the detriment of Eddie. It’s all madcap fun and games when Judy and Kiki both pay a visit to the hotel room where more shenanigans taken place that will leave you in stitches (the balloon scene is one for the record books!). It’s one gag after another, most that land, while the ones that don’t are also funny, with plenty of physical humor that will leave you breathless, and with a belly sore from laughing too much!
Writer Chris Woodley has given us a hilarious, and way too funny show that, under the direction of Bryan Hodgson, never gets dull, and is a laugh a second with the actors giving us there all. At just under 90 minutes (including a short interval), ’Tommy on Top’ is another wonderful production by the Above the Stag team who can just do no wrong. It’s the best little theatre in London.
Review by Tim Baros
Photo by PBG Studios